Never a Normal Relationship…
by Lady Cleo
Summary: While setting down on Jayne’s home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River, and the crew of Serenity.
1. Prologue: “There’s Always Jayne”

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Prologue: There's Always Jayne.

* * *

"There's always Jayne!" 

"What about Jayne?" Mal questioned stepping down into the dinning area.

Zoe and Kaylee both looked up from the table where they sat. "We was just talking, Captain, about all the couples here on board." Kaylee explained before taking another sip of her tea. "There's me and Simon, you and Inara…"

Mal sorted, "Like that's ever gonna happen."

"Zoe and Wash, Shepherd and God. That just leaves River and Jayne." Kaylee finished.

"Tell me you weren't agreeing to this madness Zoe." Mal cocked his head to the side, staring down at the two women like they had gone insane. "And, ain't you forgetting something, Kaylee."

The engineer looked up at her captain with a large grin. "What would that be, captain?"

Mal pulled out a chair slipping into the seat across from the girls. "Well, for one I don't think Simon would take too kindly to the idea, nor Jayne for that matter. Not to mention the fact that she ain't exactly stable in the head."

Kaylee shrugged, "We was just speculating captain, not saying anything would happen t'ween them."

"We'll I wouldn't let the doc hear ya, I don't think he'd take to kindly to the idea, much less if that event ever came about." Taking a sip of his drink the Captain grinned, "Though, that would be a mighty interesting sight to behold."

"What would be?" Wash asked stepping down into the room, Book following but a step behind him.

"Kaylee was speculating on River and Jayne becoming a couple, husband." Zoe supplied, pulling her pilot down into the chair next to her.

Wash turned to look at his wife like she was crazy, "River? Jayne? River and Jayne? The mercenary and the genius girl?" Wash questioned, "We'll they are both crazy! Would make a mighty interesting sight to behold."

"Ain't that what I just said?" Mal asked.

Book shook his head; setting his bible down on the table he took a seat across from the pilot. "You know, it is said that those relationships with the most adversaries can evolve into the strongest."

"How exactly would that work, seeing as Simon probably wouldn't let Jayne touch her with a ten foot pole, nevertheless make love to her." Mal asked, titling his head to the side.

The Shepherd frowned pensively for a second, before nodding his head in agreement, "Her brother probably wouldn't stand to see her in any relationship until he fixes her. And then still I'm not sure there would be anyone that could measure up to his standards, he is very protective of her, sometimes too protective of her. And considering his opinion of Jayne, I don't think he could ever come to terms with them having a relationship."

"Still, there would be cute kids I think, little gun toting geniuses." Wash quipped.

"When did we get to having kids? Last I checked he's still a might bit testy about her slashing him with the butcher's knife." Mal questioned, watching as Inara stepped into the dinning room. The companion headed over to the kitchen area, quietly pouring herself a cup of tea. "Now, Kaylee, since you started this speculation, how exactly could Jayne ever get over River's little fit over his choice in wardrobe."

"Well, she isn't exactly unattractive." Inara interrupted, stepping over to the table. "He's bound to at least be physically drawn to her. And given the right atmosphere, the right timing and the right circumstances, I think he would be able to get over her previous indiscretion."

"And, considering our situation, that ain't likely." Mal added. "It would have to be set up, and I'm thinking if the doc ever got word of it he'd put a stop right quick to that situation." He paused in his speech, chuckling quietly, "Would be mighty amusing to behold though." The table burst into grins, each crewmember quietly imagining the chaos that would ensure.

"I've seen stranger relationships!" Wash laughed. "But it makes you wonder, what kind of girl does Jayne like, that is, besides those you can pay?"

The Shepherd frowned, "I'm sure he has some form of an ideal woman, a kind of woman he would be glad to settle down with."

Zoe turned her glances from the Shepherd to her husband with a weary smile, "Ain't you all forgetting that River's a might bit crazy? Say perhaps they did form a relationship. What would happen if her brother ever fixes her? I'd hate to wake up sane next to Jayne."

* * *

River crouched just on the other side of the doorway, her head titling at Zoe's comment. "Sane, next to Jayne?" It was a thought, slipping through the disoriented waves of her mind. "Little gun toting geniuses!" 

Standing she moved restlessly away from the dinning room, into the cargo bay and across the catwalk. "Mighty amusing to behold." She murmured, trailing her fingers along the railing she tripped down the stairs, stumbling around the cargo bay.

"Gorram feng le girl!" The ruff voice cut across the tumbling thoughts of her mind and she slowly turned to face the growling mercenary. "Go pester your hun dan brother."

River titled her head to the side and walked closer to where the man stood glaring down at her. His thoughts were quiet, not so loud as the others. Kept them more to himself, did not broadcast them through his mind, kept them hidden, pushed behind a door.

"Different!" She murmured reaching out to touch him, Jayne slapped her hand away and moved out of the cargo bay into the common area. River followed after him quietly, suddenly intrigued by the growling mercenary.

Entering the Infirmary Jayne stormed over to Simon, "Keep your ruttin sister away from..." Jayne passed as River came over and started pushing his shirt up. He tired slapping her had away but she darted around. Pushing up his shirt again, she ran her fingers across the tight skin. "What in the seven hells do you think you're doing?" Jayne yelled as he jumped at her touch practically leaping over the infirmary bed to glare at her from the other side. "Keep your gorram hands off girl."

Simon walked around the bed, his hands reaching out to grab a hold of River as she sought to follow the mercenary. "Mei Mei, I've got your meds for you, these will help you." He started to quietly lead her over to the counter where his syringe waited.

"No!" River shouted, as she struggled violently against his grip, avoiding the syringe with all her power. "No poison ivy! Remedy's prick and stab like Caesar."

"I think she don't want her meds today, Doc!" Jayne snickered moving away from the struggling fight to stand in the doorway.

Trying desperately to calm his sister, Simon spared only a glance at the other man. "What?"

The mercenary smirked down at the doctor with a smug grin, "It's clear as day, she's saying them drugs you're pumping her with make her itchy, ya know, all hyper. Then drop her down faster then they did that old roman guy Caesar, stabbing her with pain all over."

Shocked by the logic, Simon loosened his grip on River. "How on earth would a hun dan like you know about Caesar?"

"What's more interesting then a guy getting stabbed a dozen times?"

River pulled away from her brother, darting around the med lab she sprung towards the door and ducked past the indifferent mercenary as he laughed at her brother. But instead of continuing on her way, she spun around, her hands reaching out she grabbed a hold of Jayne's shirt and pressed up against his back, hiding from her brother.

"Hey girl, get." Jayne yelled spinning around to push her away and barely missing the small form as she stealthy maneuvered with him, avoiding his hands. Jayne growled, backing into the infirmary he tried to swat her way, bending over in all kinds of positions to try and reach her.

"River, come here, leave the ape man alone." Simon's comment only earned him a glare from the angry mercenary.

River giggled jumping onto the surgery table she let go of the man for only a second before climbing onto the shocked Jayne's back, her legs wrapping firmly around his waist as her arms snaked about his neck. Her actions only seemed to infuriate the larger man more. "Get her off!" He yelled angrily.

"She's not doing any harm, calm down!" Simon declared, hurrying over to one of the cabinets he pulled out a soother and filled a syringe, before Jayne did something to hurt his sister.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Mal questioned stalking in through the doorway. He stumbled slightly at the sight of River on the back of a very pissed off Jayne and turned to Simon for an explanation. "You wanna tell me why your sister is attached to my hired weapon?"

"Ben tiansheng de yi dui rou, get her off Captain." Jayne yelled, struggling to pry her arms from around his neck.

"Hold still!" Simon ordered as he walked quietly over to the two, reaching out tentatively towards River.

River shrieked at the sight of the needle, tightening her grip around Jayne's neck she used one leg to push her brother backwards. Startled by her actions Simon tripped, knocking into the instrument cart, head slamming against the surgery bed. He collapsed unconscious to the floor.

"Wo de tian a." The captain yelled racing over to the prone form of Simon.

"Is he dead?" Jayne asked a little too hopefully.

"Quiescent, average swiftly, only a nuisance!" River murmured indifferently turning her gaze from her unconscious brother to Jayne's neck.

"I think she means that he just sleeping, he'll be fine and wake up soon with a headache." Jayne explained unconsciously. He refocused his attention on trying to pry her legs from around his waist, and missed the captain's funny look. "Leave him be and get this moonbrained child off my back."

"Go and get Book and Zoe." Mal ordered, reaching down he hooked his arms around the younger man's body, lifting him up onto table that had just knocked him out.

"But Mal, I got this ruttin girl still clinging to my back."

"She won't do you no harm." Mal pointed out angrily.

"Hello, are we forgetting about the butcher's knife!"

"Well she don't have one on her right now, does she! And the only way she's gonna get one is by getting down off your back! Go get Zoe and Book, now!" With one last angry glare at Jayne, the captain turned his attention back to Simon.

"Ta ma de." Jayne muttered under his breath, dropping his hands down he grabbed a hold of her thighs in order to keep her steady as he walked angrily from the infirmary. River smiled, nuzzling his neck with her face. "Don't get to comfy, girl, you ain't gonna be back there much longer."

Climbing up the stairs he prepared himself mentally for the jabs and jokes that would assuredly be thrown his way at the sight of the smaller girl on his back.

"Endearments." River whispered.

Jayne frowned for a second, "Ya I know they…" He began, but then paused, growling low in his chest, "Hey, stay outta my head."

"Can't help it, nice, warm, safe. Different, no needles that poke." She nuzzled his neck again and Jayne growled, trying to pull his head away from her.

"Oh, can I have a piggy back ride when she's done?" Kaylee asked as soon as Jayne stepped into the dinning room, drawing the entire table's attention.

"Me too!" Wash quipped with a grin.

"Watch it little man!" Jayne growled before turning to Zoe and Book "Captain needs your help. Gorram little girl here didn't want her meds and knocked Simon out." The mercenary couldn't help but inwardly snicker at the memory.

Book and Zoe were on their feet at once, darting down towards the med lab, Kaylee following worriedly after them. Turning to the two remaining occupants of the table, Jayne refocused his attention on trying to pry River off, "Help me get this feng le girl off."

"I don't know, she looks mighty comfy, why don't you let her stay." Wash laughed as he stood, moving off towards the cockpit.

Jayne turned towards Inara, trying to give her his best pitiful look; she only laughed and moved off with her tea.

"Ruttin hell!" What the hell was he supposed to do now? Couldn't throw the girl off, Mal would have his head. Stalking angrily over to the couch he plopped down on the edge, hoping that the change would encourage her to move.

River's grip only tightened, "Can't liberate."

"Keep outta my head!" He growled. He needed a plan, of course if he kept thinking so loud he'd never escape her clutches. Jayne sighed, bored already, though only a few minutes could have passed. Couldn't do anything with the gorram girl stuck to his back, tapping his foot he hoped against hope that the gorram doctor would wake up soon, or at least someone would come distract her.

"Won't, planned it all, agents of time, waiting patently in the wings." River supplied, ignoring the string of curses that slipped out of his lips in response, she ran her hand up into his hair, playing with the short strands. "Matty! Who is Matty?"

It's the first time she'd spoken plainly today, but he still frowned and growled low in his throat. "Ain't none of your gorram business."

* * *

"He'll be out for a little while." Book explained as the four of them starred down at the unconscious form of Simon. "And probably wake up with a headache." 

"How are you going to get River off Jayne's back, Captain?" Zoe asked.

"Kaylee, any ideas?" Mal questioned turning to look at his engineer.

She shrugged, "I dunno, maybe we could leave them be for a little while. She's bound to get bored of hanging around him."

"That's a mighty fine idea, Kaylee. If Simon wakes up before then he can always drug her with something calming. Where are they now?"

"Probably still in the dinning area, sir."

"Right, steer clear of that area for a while. Then I want you to go up there, Kaylee, and see if you can't lure River away with a game or something." Satisfied with his plan the Captain turned to leave.

"Captain," Book called following after him, "I don't think that's such a good idea. River has shown pretence to harm Jayne, and the two barely get along as it is."

"I know that Shepherd, but from what I seen only her own will, drugs or deadly force will get her off that man. I ain't got no choice in the matter."

"Still, they shouldn't be left alone."

Mal paused on the stair way, "They ain't gonna be entirely alone, Wash will be just down the way in the cockpit, and I'll be in my bunk with the door open. Anything happens, I'll hear it. Sides' I trust Jayne, he knows what I'd do to him if he ever harmed a hair on her head." Turning away from the Shepherd, Mal headed out into the cargo bay, fully intent on keeping near the dinning area. No matter how many times the mercenary had proven his loyalty over the past couple months, he still couldn't all together trust the man with River. She had a tendency to bring out the worst in Jayne.

* * *

"Captain, he's awake." Kaylee's voice buzzed over the communicator, shocking Mal out of some random thoughts. 

"Bout damn time, boy took near a two hour nap, he up to seeing River!"

"Book wouldn't recommend moving him just yet, but Simon says to send River and Jayne down."

"Good, cause I imagine I got a mighty irritable man waiting for that extra limb called River to be removed." Turning the communicator off, the captain climbed up his hatch and trotted down the hallway, stepping down into the dining area he froze at the sight that greeted him.

River was no longer attached to the mercenary's back, but now sat perched on his lap as the larger man gently ran a comb through her hair. "When I turned fourteen I dropped outta school to help my ma and pa. Pa was hurtin' real bad at the time and couldn't work the mine shifts, so he took up a welding job and I took a shift as a miner." Jayne explained, pausing for a second to pull her hair over her shoulder as he finished combing.

Jayne leaned back into the couch and dropped the brush to the side. "That's where I meet Duncan, the first qingwa cao de liumang backstabbing partner that ever double crossed me. He gave me my first six-shooter, had to learn me how to use it myself. Worked down in the mines for three years, toughened me up and turned the scrawny boy into a man. But the money weren't good enough, and 'tween me and pa we were barely keeping the family fed."

River turned in his lap, leaning into his embrace she rested her head on his shoulder, her fingers playing with his shirt. "Duncan was shipping off that rock and offered me a job on his crew, knew I would be doing dirty work, knew if my ma ever found out she'd have my hide strung out across the wall. But the money was too good. Haven't seen them since, write to them some, send all the money I can, but it ain't the same." The mercenary declared quietly as he absentmindedly stroked her hair. "Ma would like you; she always had a thing bout liking dancers."

"We'll ain't that just about the sweetest thing I've seen." Mal declared, drawing the attention of them both.

Jayne jumped up, displacing River from his lap in a hurry. "Captain, we was just talking."

"That so?" Mal asked with a grin, "Sounded a might bit more like bonding to me!" Jayne's scowl only deepened, moving away from River he stalked back out the doors and towards his bunk.

Mal chuckled, following the angry mercenary with his eyes before he turned back around to suddenly find a finger digging into his chest and a pair of angry eyes glaring up at him. "Bad Mal, scared off the boy, passed the man away!" River moved away, following in the footsteps of Jayne.

"Need to get a ruttin translator for that girl…"

* * *

Translations of the Chinese … 

"Qingwa cao de liumang" means "Frog-humping son of a bitch"

"Feng le" means "crazy"

"Ta ma de" means "Motherfucker/Fuck Me Blind/Holy Shit" Depending on who you talk to.  
"Wo de tian a" means "Dear God in Heaven"

"Ben tiansheng de yi dui rou" means "Stupid inbred stack of meat"


	2. Chapter One: The Right Circumstances

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter One: The Right Circumstances

* * *

River sat across from him, watching him pick at his food like a hawk watches its prey. Jayne growled, trying to ignore her eyes as he refocused his attention on the Captain. "It's a small job on Terra Five." 

"Say that again, captain?" Jayne questioned.

"Terra Five, why? What did you do there?" Mal questioned wearily.

"Nothing!" Jayne answered defensively, "Only the planet I was born and raised on."

"Good, cuz I'll need you to stay town side and keep a watch on River."

"What?" Simon and Jayne both demanded at once.

"I can't have that girl interfering in this mission. We ain't been paid for three weeks and we're runnin' low on both fuel and supplies." Mal answered calmly.

"I ain't watching the gorram girl, got better things to do with my time."

"Captain, I think I should stay with her. No offense Captain, but I don't trust Jayne with River." Simon replied, putting a hand protectively on his sister's shoulder.

Jayne snorted leaning back into his chair, "You wouldn't survive a day on that planet, boy."

"Exactly my point." Mal declared, "That's why Jayne's gonna stay with her."

"Can't ya send Book; he can keep an eye on the feng le girl and hold his own better then the gorram doctor." Jayne grumped glaring across the table at Simon.

"No, I can't. It's a miner's town. They see a Shepherd and a girl they'll be all over them both in seconds. On the other hand, they see a mighty intimidating man and a girl, they may steer clear. That's they way it's gonna be!" Turning away from the sulking mercenary and doctor, Mal redirected his attention to Wash. "What's our e.t.a.?"

"Bout an hour."

"Good." Standing Mal moved away from the dining room, Jayne jumping up to follow him. "It's been decided, no point arguing it."

"It's ridiculous Mal! I can't keep tabs on the gorram girl." Jayne called out, following him down into the cargo bay.

Mal turned around to face the sulking man, "This is your chance to prove your loyalty, make up for that fool mistake you made on Ariel. You keep the girl safe and that's all." Turning Mal continued on his way, "If you're good I'll let you take a shuttle to go visit your ma and thank her for the hat!"

Jayne cursed, kicking the nearest container.

* * *

The load door came down slowly, revealing the small dank little town. Jayne cursed, turning to Mal the mercenary glared, "Mal we're on the wrong side of the tracks, if ya know what I mean. This is a dirty little town, known for flashing, stealing workers to slave in the mine. Ain't no place to keep a gorram feng le girl." 

Tossing the man a bag of credits, Mal pulled River from Simon's grasp, handing her arm over to the mercenary, "I suggest you find a place to lay low then and keep out of sight."

"I don't think you're understanding my meaning, Mal. This is the kind of town where they steal pretty little girls like her and drag her off into the woods for some fun."

"Miners like them got a respect for another man's property, I suggest you make it known that she's your wife and to keep their hands off." Giving the mercenary a little shove off the ramp, Mal backed up, "We'll be back tomorrow night." He called out as Serenity started lifting off the ground. "Don't have too much fun now."

"Ta ma de wang ba dan!" Keeping a hold of River's hand, Jayne pulled her away from the departing ship and towards the nearest store. "Come on feng le girl, let's get some supplies and find a decent room to hunker down in." Pulling her up the stairs towards the store, he paused as he watched some miners lingering near the front. Keeping his grip tightly on her hand he started to pull her past the group.

A cat call echoed through the air, "Send the little woman this way, so we can a have a little fun."

Pulling out his gun, Jayne glared down at the men threatening like, his finger eagerly twitching over the trigger, "Keep you gorram thoughts and ruttin hands away from my wife!"

Feeling as though his point had been adequately made, Jayne pulled River into the store and headed quickly over to the counter. He ignored the smile one of the homesteaders gave him and fought to keep a hold of River's hand. A pretty piece of red cloth had caught her eye and she easily pulled away from the larger man. Figuring that she couldn't do any harm in the store, Jayne let her go and proceeded to glare down at the shopkeeper in his best intimidating manner. "I need a couple protein bars and jugs of water." River wandered quietly over to the bolts of cloth, fingering the bright red floral design, when the sight of something out the window caught her attention.

"Pretty little woman you got there." The homesteader commented to Jayne. "Reminds me of my own wife back on the stead."

Jayne turned to glare down at the young man, "Mine's a little soft in the head."

"Ain't they all?" The shopkeeper laughed, dropping the items that Jayne wanted in front of him.

"Speakin of, looks like yours has run off." The homesteader pointed out.

Jayne spun on his heels cursing under his breath as he glanced about the store to find no sight of his least favorite little crazy girl. Forgetting about the supplies on the counter he turned and darted out of the store into the street. River had already almost cleared the town, heading towards an overgrown field of wild flowers and grass, lost in some sort of haze of emotions. "Gorram girl moves fast." Jayne muttered jogging after her, ignorant of the group of men that followed after him.

"Hey girl! Wifey woman, where you think you're going?" Jayne caught up to her as River entered the field, bending down to run her hands through the tall grass. Reaching out Jayne grabbed a hold of her arm and started to turn around. "This ain't no Serenity, can't just go wandering around…"

A bright flash of white light suddenly blinded him and the ground leapt up. 'Ah shit, Mal's gonna kill me.' Was the last coherent thought that crossed his mind before the darkness took him.

* * *

"Hey… wake up!" 

Jayne slowly pried his eyes open, his head hurt to the point of breaking, pain lanced through his temples as the throbbing behind his eyeballs increased tenfold. Wearily he brought his hand to his forehead, the back of which felt icy against his sweating skin. "What the hell happened?"

"You was flashed!" An unfamiliar voice explained as Jayne fought to clear his vision and focus on some point in space. "My brothers and I witnessed it, followed after ya and crept up on your snatchers. We were able to free you and kill most of them." Turning his head Jayne gazed up onto a young homesteader. Shaking his head to clear his thought some more he ignored the feeling of familiarity. "We brought you and your wife back here to our stead, didn't feel safe leaving you in town."

Jayne let lose a string of curses, rubbing at the pain in his temples. "My pa's going kill me if he every finds out I got flashed." He paused for a second, fully digesting the man's words. "Wife? I ain't got no gorram wife!"

"Sure, ya do. I meet you and the little woman in town. She's right over yonder." The man declared pointing over to the cot beside Jayne's. A small unfamiliar woman lay curled up in a little ball, fast asleep.

"I ain't never seen her before in my life." Jayne answered, fighting the waves of nausea that crashed through his body.

"Sure ya have, you was flashed, had you memory wiped as a side effect of knocking you out. Last thing she remembers was three years ago, reckon it's about the same with you." Reaching out the young man pulled out a bucket from under the bed as Jayne turned green and proceeded to puke up his last meal. "That's a side effect of the flashing, along with the memory loss. It'll all come back to you. The little woman was pretty shaken up by the event, seems last thing she can remember she was in some academy sort of thing. What about you, any dates come to mind? Do ya even know where you are?"

Jayne racked his brain for a date and place but couldn't put any solid footing on any of the names that jumped around his mind. "Uh, 2515, Boros?"

"2518, and your on Terra Five… name at all familiar to ya?"

Wiping his forehead with his arm, Jayne lay back on the cot, trying to digest the news and stop his head from spinning. "Ya, grew up on this planet, left it round my seventeenth birthday, and ain't been back since." Turning his gaze back to the sleeping River, Jayne furrowed his eyebrows, "You sure she's my wife?"

"Weren't no occasion for you to lie! Whereabouts were you raised?"

"Ellsinore." Jayne answered automatically, his gaze still glued to River's form he swallowed down the feeling that he was gonna puke again and tired not to think too hard, only to find himself scratching at his head, desperately racking his brain as to why he would get himself a wife.

"There's a train leaving tomorrow night for Ellsinore, round about midnight, my cousin works on it. We'll get you two some passages and get you home, maybe they know something of what you been doing for the past three years or so." The man stood and headed over for the door, "'Til then you might wanna sleep it off, we'll wake you in the morning and see if you can't recall anything else." Blowing out the candlelight, the man quietly closed the door.

Jayne tired to let himself relax but found his body rebelling against it, pain crashing through his muscles. "No wonder pa said never to get flashed." He muttered. Rolling onto his side he took note of the woman that was supposed to be his wife. She was tossing in her sleep, fighting against some internal demon.

He just couldn't be married, no way in hell. Jayne Cobb never kissed a woman, much less married them. He watched as she continued tossing in her sleep. Gorram it, he was never gonna get to sleep off the poison light if she kept tossing and muttering in her sleep. Pushing himself up he tired to keep his balance steady as he slowly stood. Taking a gulping breath Jayne took a careful step forward, relying heavily on his will alone to move across the room. Taking slow steps forward, eyes squeezing shut as waves of dizziness and pain crashed through his head, he somehow managed to get across the room.

River stirred slowly as his weight hit the cot, rolling over she gazed up at the man with large frightened eyes. She didn't recognize him, but something told her that she could trust this one. When she reached out to his mind she found a safe haven, a place without needles.

"You my wife?" Jayne questioned her, River shrugged her shoulders, not sure of the answer herself. "What's your name girl?"

"River!" She cocked her head to the side, as though asking him the same question.

"Name's Jayne."

"That's a girl's name!"

Jayne growled at her comment and looked away from her. He figured that he should probably head back over to his own bunk, but he wasn't sure if his head would stay focused long enough to get him back over to the other side of the room. Turning his head back to stare down at her he debated his choice. He could collapse on the ground, crawl over to his cot or join her.

"Not a good choice!" River suddenly whispered, "Ground is cold, doesn't want a warm body, girl is colder wants a warm body." Scooting over to the far edge of the cot she made room for him to join her. Still he questioned it, she looked mighty young. "Don't question what must be. It makes sense, man and wife share cot just like bird and squirrel share tree." Reaching up River's smaller hands grabbed a hold of Jayne's shirt and pulled him down to her side. Her smaller body confirmed around his, her head resting on his chest, her heart beating to match his own.

Closing his eyes Jayne tired to sort out the thoughts that tumbled through his head, why her weird mind reading hadn't bothered him. Why she felt so right at his side. Tucking his arm around her waist he pulled her closer, focusing on the ceiling as she nuzzled his chest.

"Ariel," she murmured suddenly, "First sighting I think, you rescued me from the blue hands, from the cold morgue." She sifted slightly so that she could look into his eyes, "You saved me from the needles."

"Ya think?" He questioned, unsure of his last visit to Ariel, wasn't much work for his kind there, being such a core planet and all. "Money must have been damn good for me to get you outta there!" She dropped her head back onto his shoulder, snuggling deeper into his embrace. Shaking his head Jayne sighed, hoping to dear god that his parents would have some more solid and clear answers. Drifting off to sleep Jayne tired to clear his mind, but couldn't shake off a nagging feeling that he was supposed to be doing something tomorrow afternoon.

* * *

The sun had long since set when Mal, Zoe and Book returned to the ship empty handed. "Where are they?" Simon questioned, panic quickly converging on his features at the lack of his sister's presence. "They were supposed to meet us here, today! Did something happen last night while we were gone?" 

"I don't know Doc, but I couldn't find em', ain't nobody in town seen them after yesterday morning." Mal answered before turning to Wash, "Get us into the air, head over to the nearest mining camp."

"You think they were flashed, Captain?" Kaylee asked quietly.

"Flashed, what does that mean?" Simon questioned worriedly following after the Captain as he climbed the cargo bay stairs.

"Kind of like on Jiangyin, when you were kidnapped into the hills for your skills as a doctor. Only here they look for big fellows like Jayne to work in the mines." The captain explained.

"Jayne always called it being flashed, cuz here on Terra they knock you out with a bright paralyzing light." Kaylee explained following after them.

"Ah, Mal, we got a problem!" Wash declared as the three entered the cockpit.

"Course we do, job goes that smoothly there's gotta be some big damn problem to fix!" Walking over he looked down at the sensors, "Zhen daomei, how many do you count?"

"Thirty!" Wash answered. "All in close proximity to the town."

"Thirty what?" Simon questioned worriedly.

"Thirty different mining camps."

* * *

River looked up to watch the mid bulk transport fly off overhead. A feeling of vague familiarity surfaced through the running thoughts of her head as they continued down the street in the wagon. "Inconsequential." She muttered to herself, turning her gaze to watch her husband quietly talk to the young homesteader. 

Husband? The thought seemed foreign to her, but tasted good on her lips, felt right in her heart. 'Simon would not approve!' She thought wearily, but then again she did not know where Simon was, probably still on Osiris, working for those that had hurt her. She shuddered pulling the shawl that the homesteader's wife had given her closer. She felt nice, warm, and safe around the tall man. "Different, no needles that poke." She whispered.

"They would have dragged you and your wife up to the hills." The homesteader explained to Jayne. "Most likely wouldn't have done no harm to her, they have an odd code about respecting a man's rights to his wife and all." Jayne nodded, having a feeling that somebody else had once told him that. "Would have gotten you to sign some phony indenture papers and you would have found yourself working off a twenty year debt." The wagon rolled around a corner, the train depot looming into view. "Only about five of the mining camps in the area actually buy flashed souls."

The wagon rolled to a stop just as the long hover train pulled into the station. River jumped at the sight of the steaming and flaming train as it pulled to a final screeching halt. "Best hurry, the train don't stay long." The homesteader declared jumping down from the wagon he trotted off to procure their tickets.

Jayne swung down, turning back to lift River from the wagon and gently set her feet back on the solid ground. Clinging tightly to Jayne's arm she stared up at the train with wide excited eyes. "It's angry, doesn't like this town, and doesn't like this world. But it can't escape, it's stuck to the tracks and has to keep running, has to keep angry."

Jayne stared down at her, convinced that in another life he would have jumped away from her touch in fear, least she be hiding a butcher's knife somewhere. But now as he watched her gaze up at the train with bright shinning eyes he couldn't help but feel the need to pull her closer and shout out to the world, 'MINE.'

River turned her gaze away from the roaring train and smiled up at him. "Get to congregate with originators, and Matty!" The name jumped to her lips, though she didn't know where it came from.

"Meet with the parents, right." Turning his gaze away from her luminescent eyes, he searched the platform for their friend, his brow furrowing as he hoped to high heaven that he'd told his parents about her.

He'd always had a pretense of keeping certain things out of his letter, mainly anything that would call for bad language (as his mother abhorred any word that could be defined as a cuss word) and anything that he felt would upset his mother. And surely this would. His mother tended more towards the overly sentimental side, priding herself on the fact that she had been to all four of her eldest children's weddings, and witnessed every grandchild's entrance into the world. There was no way his mother could have been a witness to his wedding, as he was pretty sure he hadn't been home since his departure twenty something years ago, but then again he was missing a good three years from his memory banks.

Besides, his chosen wife appeared to be a might bit soft in the head, what with the way she worded things and all. It was entirely possible that he'd kept all mention of her out of any and all letters. He'd never handled criticism from his mother well, and though she rarely ventured to criticize her eldest child about his life (besides giving him an earful about his chosen profession) this matter would have never been dropped, just like his pa was never gonna let him forget about being flashed.

The homesteader walked back over to them, producing a pair of tickets he handed them over to Jayne, leading the larger man and smaller woman over to the train. "Train doesn't have any other stops so you should find yourself in Ellsinore by day break." He explained as Jayne helped River up the stairs.

"Right!" Jayne declared, turning back to the man he frowned for a second, "Uh, not very good with thanks, but thanks for rescuing us and all."

"No problem." The younger man answered, "Would have done the same for any other couple. You just head on home and see about getting that memory straightened out." The homesteader gave a wave of the hand and turned around heading back over to his waiting wagon.

Jayne climbed up the stairs, following River into one of the compartments. The train was practically devoid of life, only an old miner sat on a back bench, dozing off the empty bottle of whiskey that sat in his lap. River slipped onto one of the benches, her gaze darting out the window.

Sighing Jayne took the seat next to her, "Well, been meaning to go home for sometime, suppose now's as good a time as any."

* * *

Next Chapter… The Right Timing… 

Chinese translations…

"feng le" means "crazy"

"Zhen daomei" means "Just our luck"


	3. Chapter Two: The Right Atmosphere

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Two: The Right Atmosphere

* * *

Jayne stepped down off the train, the bright sunlight hitting him in the face. He stretched for a second, shaking off the remnants of sleep, glancing around the familiar platform before turning around to see what was taking River so long. She stood on the last step, starring out at the town with trepidation, a range of emotions playing across her face as she watched the people. 

Reaching back he wrapped an arm about her waist, swinging her down to the train platform. She smiled up at him, wrapping her arm around his. "Ellsinore, land of lies and deceit, yet also of warmth and love, which shall we have? Tragedy or Comedy?"

Jayne raised an eyebrow, but shook off her words, figuring that he would eventually get used to them again. Securing River's hand in his he stepped down off the train platform and started into town. The train ride had seemed brief, yet his sleep had been haunted by unfamiliar dreams of things he couldn't remember, things that left him feeling as though he was lost in his own mind. He needed to find solid footing and hoped to the high heavens his family could help provide it.

The little town of Ellsinore was a sleepy one, resisting change as best it could. It was a small town nestled in a warm wooded area with only two main streets. It lay just a couple miles off from one of the larger mining camps in one direction and in the other, a large and vast prairie land, ripe and fertile for framers.

His own ma had come from a small farming family and had managed to inherit a couple of acres just outside of town. She kept a couple of horses, and occasionally hired out the land to farmers. His father's talent in welding kept him employed when things got harder, and kept the family fed with some help from his grown children. Two of Jayne's brothers had chosen farming and ranching over the mine and carved out several decent amounts of land for themselves, but they were a couple miles outside of town. Swinging his gaze down the street, Jayne figured the best course of action would be to go his mother's house.

As they continued down the street familiar faces bombarded his sight, but didn't call out greetings. That only served to confirm that he hadn't been back in a long time. Still he caught no glimpse of family and wasn't sure that if he did he would be able to recognize them. It had been close to twenty years since he'd left.

River suddenly stopped, pulling Jayne to a sudden halt she pointed towards one of the stores. "Jayne's tender."

Jayne followed her gaze to watch his mother step out of a store, followed by her three youngest children. He paused, confessed for a second. She hadn't aged a day since he left, and he barely recognized his younger siblings from the pictures she'd occasionally sent. "Well, best get this over with." Keeping a tight hold on River's hand he led her quietly over, standing just before the stairs that led up to the boardwalk.

* * *

Marie Cobb took the first few steps, trying to juggle her packages and three children under ten, all the while speculating where her two teenagers had wandered off too. She paused when she realized that a great towering man stood in front of her. If he thought she was gonna move for him he had another thing coming. Looking up into the man's face she paused, squealed, dropped all her packages and threw herself into her eldest son's arms. "My baby."

* * *

"William!" The miner looked up from where he was tying his horses off as his wife's soft voice called to him. "William, who is that with your mother? That can't be Jayne, can it?" 

Following her gaze, William Cobb felt his throat constrict in shock. Securing the reins he left his wife to tend to their children and quickly darted across the town street to where Jayne had encompassed his mother in a giant hug, lifting the smaller woman off her feet.

Walking up behind his elder brother William tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, houzi de pigu, you're in the way."

Jayne spun angrily on his heels, ready to take on the man who was interrupting his reunion, but then froze as he gazed down on the grinning face. "Shun-sheng duh gao-wahn." Jayne ignored his mother's glare as he starred down at his eldest younger brother. "What the hell happened to you, kid? When I was left you were still hugging ma's skirts, and now look at you, all grown up big and bulky."

The two brothers clasped shoulders in a kind of manly hug. "Put on a few pounds yourself big brother, mainly round the waist though." Jayne punched the younger man roughly in the shoulder. "You think I changed, wait until you see Isabella and all the rest of 'em. Hell, you haven't even met more then half the family."

A squeal, much like the one his mother had uttered not a couple of minutes ago, suddenly echoed from across the street. Jayne and the group turned to watch a woman go charging across the street towards them. Dropping his voice low Jayne leaned closer to William, "That ain't Isabella, is it?"

Before the younger brother could answer, the woman threw herself into Jayne's arms, nearly knocking the breath out of him as he caught her. "Jayne Cobb, how dare you stay away so long?" She declared releasing her older brother she pulled back and slapped him on the shoulder. "Can't you get that ship of yours to visit our little planet every once in a while? I barely recognize you."

"I could say the same for you." Jayne laughed, ruffling up her hair, "When'd you get so short?" She glared up at him, punching him in the shoulder. A smaller hand suddenly slipped into his as another fisted around a portion of his shirt. During all the greetings River had slipped behind him, keeping hidden from sight.

Jayne reached around, pulling River forward he held her body tight to his chest and smiled at his ma and siblings. River felt the waves of nervousness fly off Jayne. She was confused by the happy thoughts that had rolled of his family, filling her with their warmth, but now their minds had gone blank in confusion, frightening her. So she clung to Jayne's steady form, supporting his weight with her own thoughts as she smiled up at him.

"Who's this Jayne?" His mother questioned with a confused smile.

"Ma, this is River, my wife." Marie Cobb turned white as a ghost as soon as her son uttered the word wife. Reaching out she grabbed a hold of William's shoulder, using her son's balance to keep her steady.

"Wife?" William asked, "You're joking right, last I checked you're still the same man that told me he'd never get married cuz women were too confusing".

"I was seventeen at the time." Jayne defended, his grip tightening its hold around River's waist. Turning his gaze he starred down at his ma, realizing that the woman had yet to speak and was still deathly white, "Ma?"

"She's soft, warm with the shock." River declared, drawing their attention away from the pale woman and back to the younger one that Jayne held so protectively. River let her eyes met her mother-in-law's, smiling softy. "Do not worry, Jayne's tender, his heart fell swift to me and mine grew to his."

Shock, fear, questions bombarded their minds, frightening River with the intensity behind them. The thoughts were too loud and she retreated further into Jayne's embrace, pulling his arms tighter about her, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought to retreat back into the more guarded mind of Jayne. "Too loud." She whispered in a panic, confusing his family even more as they had yet to speak.

Sensing her distress and somehow understanding her meaning, Jayne pushed River behind him, keeping one hand firmly on her waist as she clung to his back, burying her face against the material of his shirt. "Stop thinking so loud, you're frightening her."

"Jayne, have you gone feng le? What the hell is going on?" Isabella demanded.

"She's a little soft in the head." Jayne answered, "I rescued her from the Alliance, they was messin' with her mind." The color slowly returned to Marie's cheeks as the older woman released her son's shoulder. "I can't ruttin explain it very well, as I don't remember much myself." He grudgingly admitted.

River suddenly relaxed against his back, poking her head around Jayne's larger form her eyes once again met those of Marie's. She felt Marie's mind soften with sympathy, a motherly concern whipping away the shock of her son's news.

"What do you mean, you can't remember?" William demanded confused by the words that were coming out of his brother's mouth.

River passed their conversation out of mind, stepping around Jayne to stare at his mother. Marie smiled softly, reaching out her hand towards River, watching as the young woman gently took it. River let Marie pull her into a tight hug, shocking the three Cobb children into silence. She liked the woman's soft, warm embrace, it reminded her of Jayne's mind. There were no needles here, and all she felt flowing off the woman was a series of soft, comforting thoughts, warm with love.

* * *

Mal rubbed his forehead in pain as he gazed out the cockpit window and onto the desolate little mining camp. "How many is this one again Wash?" 

"Only the second," the pilot replied. Mal groaned in response. "It would help if we could trust the mine foremen, but seeing as they don't wanna lose another employ we're just gonna have to search 'em all."

"Not here, Captain." Zoe's voice cracked over the comm. "Everybody's aboard."

"Right, who's next Wash?"

* * *

"You got flashed!" Daniel Cobb demanded angrily, slapping his eldest son on the back of the head. 

"It weren't my fault, pa, I was distracted." Jayne explained rubbing the back of his head he motioned to where River examined one of the family photos on the wall of the small Cobb home.

"Don't make no difference whither you were distracted or not, I taught my kids better then that." Daniel Cobb scolded, shaking his head in thought, "You're lucky you were rescued, I'd never of know you were even on the planet. Endangering your little wife there like that, thought I taught you better boy."

"Speakin of, how come you didn't write about her?" William asked. "I thought for sure ma was gonna faint when you told us about her."

Jayne shrugged, "Like I said in town, she's a little soft in the head. I reckon that's why I didn't tell you. Probably wanted to bring her here and show you how great she was or somethin'."

"I can't believe you married a feng le girl?" Isabella Cobb Rory whispered as she set a plate of bread before the boys.

"She ain't feng le, just a little creative in her wording and all. Sides she shot down three men with her eyes closed, ain't no woman better suited in the world for me. Like I said, damn Alliance did something to her head; cut something out so that she can't control emotions too well is all." The words jumped out of his mouth before he could understand them himself.

"Now, how you know that?" William asked, taking a sip of the whiskey that his wife Sarah set in front of him.

"Don't know, comes back to me in bits." Jayne explained.

Daniel slapped Jayne on the back of his head again, "Stupid boy, that's what you get for being flashed."

"Do you at least remember meeting her?" William questioned, scratching at his beard, he watched his elder brother careful. The two had been near inseparable growing up, but Jayne had chosen a life off world, while William had been content to settle down as a miner and raise a family.

"On Ariel, I think, was pulling some kind of heist, stealing drugs for somebody. She was there getting her brain scanned by some gorram doctor. I think we met in the morgue or something like that. Almost got caught, but managed to use my cunnings to escape. Not sure what happened after that, nor when it happened, guessing maybe about two or three years ago."

"Can't remember cuz you were flashed, sa gua."

"You gonna let that go now, pa?" Jayne asked, barely avoiding another slap on the head from his father. "When are David and Jamie coming over?"

"Your other brothers will be here in a little while, it takes 'em a bit of time to gather up all the little ones and their wives."

Marie Cobb walked quietly out into the living room, ignoring her husband and children she walked over to where River had started examining another set of pictures on the wall. Slipping her arm about the smaller girl's shoulders she smiled down at the pretty face, "Why don't you come and help Becca, Matty and me in the kitchen." River smiled up at her mother-in-law and nodded allowing herself to be led away from the pictures.

Jayne jumped up from his chair, "Hey, ma, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Oh shush, she'll be fine with us girls." Marie gently shoved her son back down into his seat heading over for the kitchen door.

"It ain't that I don't trust you," Jayne defended, starting to rise from his chair again. "Just don't like having her out of my sight is all." William snickered at his elder brother's comment, Isabella doing the same. Marie just ignored her son as Daniel pulled the boy back down into the chair. Jayne glared at his two snickering siblings, "What are you laughing at?"

"Never thought I'd see the day when Jayne Cobb went all soft over a woman." William snickered, trying his best to hold back the laughter, "It's a mighty amusing sight is all."

* * *

The kitchen was a small, cozy little room, only slight smaller then living room. It had been decorated with dried flowers and painted in warm yellows and whites. At the table in the center of the room Jayne's two teenage sisters sat, giggling over a boy as they peeled potatoes. 

"I don't think you were properly introduced to my other two young ones, as they were wandering about town when you and Jayne came in. The taller one's Matty, the shorter, Becca. Ignore their giggling, they've reached the years when they can't stop talking about boys." Besides the differences in height there was little difference between the two girls, almost carbon copies of their mother. Leading the girl over to the table Marie guided River down to a chair and too the seat next to her and began working at preparing the green beans. "We're all mighty glad that Jayne settled down." Marie declared happily. "I'd always thought it'd take a shotgun wedding to make that silly boy of mine settle down."

River felt the waves of remorse seep through the woman's strong mental blocks. She could feel that Marie wanted to know about the wedding. Wanted to have witnessed the ceremony and have been given a chance to cry over Jayne and River. Just like she'd cried during her other four children's wedding and like she would cry when the five younger ones got married.

"Where you from River?" Matty asked quietly. River turned to look at the young child, this one had the familiar name but the unfamiliar face; her thoughts were jumpy, but would grow steady just like her mother's soon.

"Osiris." River declared quietly, watching as they worked at preparing the dinner. Tentatively she reached out and touched Marie's mind again, listening as the woman mentally listed what still needed to be done. Choosing a task that she felt would suit her, River reached out picking up the butcher's knife and quietly began chopping the carrots. The knife felt unfamiliar in her hand, as though she had once held it for another purpose.

"You got any sisters or brothers." Becca asked. River looked up at the younger girl, her thoughts were also jumpy, but wouldn't calm down with age. She would be like Isabella, loud in her thoughts, but quiet in her words.

"Had a brother, doctor on Osiris, but he killed himself trying to save me." River didn't understand her own words; Simon wasn't dead, was he? The memories were all mixed up, she knew he sacrificed himself for her, but she couldn't remember how.

"What about your parents honey? Do they know about you marrying Jayne?"

River shook her head, feeling the waves of sympathy roll off the gathered girls. "They don't know, wouldn't care, have more important things to do. Errands to run, dinners to host, guests can't be uninvited." River felt their hearts go out to her, their feelings and love wrapping around her, creating a comfortable cocoon like the one she felt around Jayne.

Marie reached out with a soft hand, encompassing River's. "Well you just consider us family then." Leaning over she gently kissed River's forehead before standing and moving over to the stove to check on dinner.

Becca and Matty smiled kindly at River, their thoughts shifting rapidly. They didn't understand what it was like to be lonely, wondered how anyone could survive without the same kind of big loving family they had. "You sure are pretty; Jayne always had a thing for pretty girls according to mama." Matty spoke up eagerly, "We don't know him too well; never meet him before this, course we always talked through letters." Matty explained, "He never mentioned you in his letters, must have wanted to keep you all to himself!" Matty giggled, "Seems like something Jayne would do. But now that you're here for a little while, we can get to know you better."

The words didn't match the man, but River kept quiet, sensing from Marie the same thing. There was another reason that Jayne hadn't mentioned River, and Marie wanted to know what it was. It could have been the soft thing, or the alliance thing. Mail sometimes got read by eyes that it weren't intended for, wouldn't be good to send out a letter with her name all over it. Safer not to mention at all.

"How'd you meet and all, do you remember?" Matty asked eagerly, forgetting about her potatoes she leaned forward eagerly. River titled her head; the younger girl's thoughts had jumped to silly romantic notions, flowers and candlelight. 'No flowers on a ship, candlelight was ineffective, bad lighting for necessary tasks.' River thought.

Marie made a move to interfere, but River spoke before the elder woman could come up with an excuse to shush the teenager. "In a hospital, Jayne saved me from the needles. Lived on a ship together with a crew, married in space." River smiled, but paused, suddenly confused. Were these her memories, or their daydreams leaking into her thoughts? Becca imagined a pretty white dress with a bouquet of wild flowers. "Wore a white dress with wild flowers," Matty pictured that Jayne wouldn't dress up for the event. "Jayne wouldn't dress up, wanted to be comfortable on his _'gorram wedding day'_." Marie saw a kind old Shepherd onboard, one who blessed the marriage with a proper ceremony. "Was blessed by a passenger, a Shepherd on the way to Boros."

As River spoke the images came together in her mind slowly. A man standing before them with his symbol that would turn to pages if taken apart. A warm, sensual girl covered with grease, a doctor that Jayne didn't like. A funny man who liked playing with dinosaurs and a strong woman who liked the funny man that liked playing with dinosaurs. There was the tall and protective one who owned the big damn boat, and worshipped the pretty woman that smelled of exotic spices and strong love. They were all strangers in her mind, people without faces or names, only with feelings and emotions.

All except for Jayne, who looked funny and out of place in his combat boots next to her, in her white dress with the picked bouquet of wild flowers! There was always Jayne, who held her hand as they were joined by the Book, by the Shepherd.

* * *

Mal watched as his weary crew trudged up onto the ramp. "How many does that make?" 

"Five, sir." Zoe answered. "Ain't no way we're gonna get them all, there's gotta be a better way to do this captain."

Mal frowned as he glanced over his half dead crew. Only Simon looked alive, and Mal had little doubt that the only thing keeping him steady was the rush of adrenaline from all the worrying he was doing. "Right, everybody get some sleep. In the morning will split up. Inara should be back with us by then. She and Book will take a shuttle, Zoe, Kaylee and the Doc will take a shuttle, and me and Wash will take Serenity. That way we'll be able to get twice the number of camps at once." Turning away from the crew Mal headed back up to his bunk, "'Til then all we can do is rest."

Simon sighed, unsatisfied with the Captain's decision. He felt useless with River somewhere out there, alone with the ape man Jayne. "It should have been me out there with her." He muttered to himself. Kaylee suddenly came up to his shoulder, her arm wrapping around him.

"Hey now, I know Jayne wouldn't let no harm come to River. He'll take care of her. I'm sure he won't get a wink of sleep tonight, making sure she's safe."

* * *

Jayne grinned slapping his younger brother on the back, "You married a right pretty woman, Jamie." The younger boy blushed, watching as his father helped his wife climb up into the wagon with their three little children. 

"Could say the same for you!" Jamie grinned.

Jayne laughed throwing his arm around his brother's shoulder he led him over to the waiting wagon. "Pa says you could use a extra hand with the cattle, had me a job with them once, I'll come over in the morning and see if'n I can't remember anything sides the fact that I liked slapping them around."

Jamie grinned swinging up into the driver's seat of the wagon. "We'd appreciate that, see ya after breakfast then." Turning to River he nodded to her, "Nice to meet you Ma'am." Slapping the reins he nodded to his ma and pa before driving the horses off.

Walking quietly back up the porch stairs Jayne causally draped his arm over River's shoulders. His thoughts were crowded, yet still comforting to her; she smiled, leaning into his embrace. He'd forgotten how much he missed this family. River turned to look up at him with a smile, "More then one family; one here, one with peace, one with me."

Bending down Jayne placed a brief kiss on her forehead, pulling her closer to him. "One with peace." He murmured, confused by his understanding of her meaning. Together they followed his mother and father back into the house. Peace, it didn't have the same meaning to him that it did to everybody else. But he couldn't place his finger exactly on what it did mean.

"Matty's volunteered to sleep with the little ones." Marie called out as she led her son and his wife up the stairs. "So you two can use her bed, it's a might bit small, but I imagine you're probably used to that, living on a ship and all." She led them down the small hallway into a room that had once passed hands from Jayne, to each of her eldest children as they grew and moved out.

The bed was rather small, covered with a bright red and blue quilt. A distressed vanity sat in one corner, one that Jayne recognized as once being his ma's; it had been spruced up with a fresh coat of paint and pink flowers, like Kaylee would have done.

Kaylee, the name was foreign in his mind, a bright smiling face flashed across his memory, a cheerful laugh echoing through his ears, but then it slipped away, lost before he could grasp the meaning.

Matty entered the room with a bright smile and a white nightgown tucked under her arm. "Here you go River." Marie declared taking the gown from her daughter she set it on the bed, "Might be a bit too big for you, Isabella was a little taller than you, but it'll do for now. Jayne, you need one of your pa's nightshirts?"

Jayne grinned down at the young teenager, pulling her to his embrace with his free arm. "Na ma, I'll sleep in my boxers." He answered, turning his gaze to watch his mother sigh with annoyance.

River grinned, feeling Marie's thoughts intertwine with her own; Marie had always hated the fact that Jayne slept like that, had convinced herself that he would catch a cold in only his boxers. "Told him he'll catch a cold." River declared suddenly, a memory popping into her head, a memory of her scolding him as he climbed into their very small bunk in calm. "But he's too stubborn, said he'd rather use me to keep warm."

Jayne blushed as Matty giggled and Marie smiled, "Thank you River, glad somebody else shares my point of view." Marie pulled Matty from Jayne's arm and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him goodnight, doing the same for River. "You two sleep tight; I'll wake you in the morning with breakfast." Pulling the teenager out of the room, Marie shut the door.

"Now how come I don't remember you complain about me gettin' naked?" Jayne asked, pulling River into a tighter embrace for a second, wrapping his arms about her waist he stared down into her face, waggling his eyebrow.

River slapped his shoulder playful, "Bad Jayne." Slipping from his embrace easily she walked over and picked up the nightgown, fingering the soft material.

Jayne striped off his shirt, dropping it carelessly to floor before taking a moment to pull off his boots as River walked over to stand in front of him, her back to him. "Huh?" Jayne questioned, staring down at her back. "Oh, right." He whispered, realizing what she wanted he leaned forward, slowly unzipping the red dress she wore, placing a brief kiss just below her neck as the dress dropped to the floor. If felt like the first time, but a small part of his brain fought that feeling, telling him that he must have done this a thousand times over. River stepped away from him, slipping the nightgown over her head she started to climb into bed.

"Wait, silly." Jayne's voice stopped her movements and she turned to him, watching as he slipped out of his pants and walked over. "Boots!" He declared pointing down at her feet. River grinned holding her feet out to him.

The mercenary sighed; quickly unlacing her boots he dropped them to the floor. Sweeping the smaller girl into his arms he tossed her up onto the bed. The joyful laugh that tumbled from her lips as she landed on the soft mattress sent tingles down his spine, but the mercenary only shook it off, smiling as he climbed in after her.

Their bodies conformed together beneath the covers. His hands fitting easily around her stomach, legs entangling together. 'Simon wouldn't approve' the river told the girl as sleep rapidly sought her. 'Simon wouldn't like the rock you've chosen' the river whispered, trying to pull the girl back down into the confusion of too many thoughts. But the girl smiled at the river, the rock anchoring her in place, 'Simon is not here, Simon cannot take the rock away.' She reached out to Jayne, slowly connecting his brain to hers, confusing which was which, whose was whose.

Jayne pulled her closer, half asleep his mind searched around, pulling things slowly to the forefront. Her not dressed at all, standing before his bunk. It didn't seem like it had really happened, almost felt like his mind had just created the memory, but logic swept down over his thinking. It made sense, course his wife would do something like that, they were married and all, why shouldn't his wife be standing before his bunk naked. "Seems to me that I remember you not wearing anything to bed on a couple of occasions," Jayne murmured quietly against her neck.

"Special occasions." She giggled.

Jayne let sleep slip up on his mind, knowing that it would bring the confusing dreams. But the soft warm body next to his was a comfort, he would wake up in her arms, she would hold him steady. Just like how he felt when holding Vera, confident and strong, capable of fighting off the darkness. "Vera? Where in ruttin hell is Vera?" Jayne demanded sitting up quickly as sleep fought to take him back down.

River stirred, slowly pulling him back down to the covers. "Agonizing is unwarranted, she's with peace."

"She's with peace." Jayne murmured letting River pull him back down into her embrace, letting sleep wash away his thoughts of calm, of peace, of serenity.

* * *

River wandered down the corridors of her mind, poking her head in the doors of her memories. Doors that led to Osiris, doors that led to the academy, new doors that had replaced old ones, doors that led to empty rooms where memories used to live. She liked the doors; big doors, small doors, some fancy wood, some brightly panted, intimidating metal doors that frightened her. They mirrored the memories behind them, a fancy door for the fancy party she went to on her thirteenth birthday, a small door for her first step. 

As she wandered among the familiar ways she turned a corner and found a different corridor. It was quieter, darker, all the lights dimmed down. This was not her mind… she had wandered off from her own and stumbled into somebody else's.

Stepping lightly she followed her instincts around, the doors were different here, they were all locked, not open like hers. They radiated different temperatures, some where cold, others hot, and some just warm or cool, but they all looked the same.

As she wandered down the unfamiliar ways she came to a door, a locked door that called to her, sang out to her. Nothing radiated from this door, and when she touched the handle, the lock fell away.

It was a bunk, a peaceful bunk, decorated to suit its inhabitant. Knives, guns, things he loved were placed about. Yet there were also secrets, tucked away, hidden from her view, but she could feel them floating in the air.

Climbing on the bed she looked about her, waiting, watching the room as though it would come alive. And it did, from the dark shadows of a corner, he stepped out. He looked like Jayne, felt like Jayne, thought like Jayne; he was Jayne, just like she was River. Walking over to her he glared down at her angrily, always angry. He confused and intrigued her, sent shivers down her spine.

Crawling to her knees she knelt on the bed before him, watching him, reaching out with her hand she touched the side of his face. Turning her own face away she reached down, grabbing his hand with her free one, gently guiding it to her waist.

"_Hereafter, in a better world than this, I shall desire more love and knowledge of you."_ She whispered, leaning forward she pressed her lips to his in a gently caress, a brief curious kiss. She was breathing lightly, but deeply, her eyes shutting as she felt the connection begin to form, her smaller hands moving to fist onto his shirt, pulling the larger man down to the bed, their limbs entwining.

Their souls, their minds made love as their bodies slept.

* * *

Notes: 

"_Hereafter, in a better world than this, I shall desire more love and knowledge of you." _Is taken from Shakespeare's play "As You Like It."

Chinese translations….

"houzi de pigu" means "Monkey's ass

"Shun-sheng duh gao-wahn." Means "Holy Testicle Tuesday"

"sa gua" means "idiot"


	4. Chapter Three: The Right Timing

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Three: The Right Timing

* * *

Jayne slowly pried his eyes open as sunlight bounced through the window onto his face. He groaned slowly, confused by the warm light, disoriented by the soft body that pressed up against his. 

"Your wife." River explained his question as she felt him stir beside her, felt his need to get up and move around, but she held him down, snuggling deeper into his side. "Covers think you ought to stay, they're lonely, desire the warmth you give." She murmured against his chest.

Jayne pushed himself into a sitting position. "Jayne's stomach says somethin' else." He murmured grumpily as he swung his legs off the bed and stood. River ignored him, throwing the covers over her head she burrowed into the warm spot his body had left.

Marie Cobb had already come and gone, taking most of their clothes and leaving a pile of clean ones on the vanity chair. Grabbing the pair of cargo pants from the pile he slipped into them easily, turning his head back around to stare at the blanketed form of his wife. He got a nagging feeling that this was probably an everyday occurrence. "Gorram it, woman, why you gotta do this to me every mornin'?" Walking over he grabbed the blanket, yanking it off the bed and exposing his wife. Turning away from her Jayne slipped into the shirt his mother had procured from his father and started buttoning it.

River moaned curling into a ball as the cold air hit her. "Don't want to greet the sunshine, rather lie in an undeveloped state and receive in salutation the odes of imaginings." She declared pulling a pillow over her head.

Slipping on his socks and combat boots, Jayne crossed back over to her, reaching down he grabbed a hold of the smaller girl's ankles and pulled her off the bed. River shrieked grabbing a hold of the mattress, but unable to stop the stronger man she hit the hard wooden floor bottom first.

Leaning down Jayne dropped a brief kiss on her forehead with an evil grin, "Mornin' baby." Handing her the red flowered dress he turned, heading out the bedroom door.

"Malevolent despot." River murmured under her breath as she rubbed her sore bottom.

* * *

Jayne started down the stars with an extra bounce in his step as he listened to his wife's grumbling. It felt good to be home, even if he was missing three years from his memory banks that still left nearly twenty years of being unable to visit this rock. 

He caught the sound of his mother's cheerful humming as he came to the last step and smiled. But as he stepped down, a sharp pain lanced up his right arm, the feeling spread to the center of the chest, pressure squeezing down on his heart. Bringing his hand up, he pressed down on the center of his chest, taking a gulping breath. He remained on the bottom step, breathing in and out, pain lancing through his body with every struggled breath. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Shaking off the experience, Jayne continued on at a slower pace, working his way through the living room and dinning room to the kitchen, still rubbing at the center of his chest.

"Morning Jayne boy." Marie greeted from her position in front of the stove. She turned around, smiling at her son brightly, "Where's River?"

"Be down in a second, never was much of a one for getting up early." He explained, letting his mother set a plate of steaming eggs and bacon before him. He grinned at the sight, eagerly digging into the food. It felt like he hadn't had real food in months, much less anything that stimulated more than one taste bud.

"You two sleep okay?" Marie asked, brining over a basket of biscuits to her son.

"Had funny dreams bout things I can't remember." Jayne answered in between bites.

"That's cuz you was flashed boy!" Daniel Cobb declared as he walked into the room, wiping the sleep from his eyes he paused a moment to once again slap his son on the back of the head. "Sa gua son of mine."

"Let it go already, pa!" Jayne defended, watching as his father took a seat across from him and started digging into plates of food that littered the table.

"Mornin' River honey." Marie greeted cheerfully as River bounced into the room happily. Smiling at the three she took a seat beside her husband, gratefully accepting the plate Marie handed her.

Jayne shook his head as he watched her dig into the good food, desperately trying to remember whether her sudden change in mood was a good sign or a bad one. Then again the girl was slightly crazy, so he probably should have expected her to come down the stairs in a totally different mood. Her foot nudged his under the table and Jayne realized with a start that he'd been staring at her when he could have been solving the problem of his still grumbling stomach.

"You gonna ride over to Jamie's after eating, boy?" Daniel asked quietly, accepting the cup of coffee from his wife.

"Figuring on doing so." Jayne replied grabbing a biscuit from the basket he set it on the corner of his plate. River grinned, reaching out she grabbed the biscuit off his plate and moved it to her own, ignoring his glare as he reached for another. "Also figured on riding back just after lunch so I could take River out and show her some of the old haunts."

Marie looked up from pouring them coffee with a smile, "That'll be nice!"

Becca and Matty skipped into the room, herding their younger siblings around the table as they both called out their good mornings. Jayne pulled his youngest siblings onto his lap with a smile as Becca and Matty chorused the other two into chairs. "You girls finish your chores already?" Marie questioned as two crowded around the table.

"Ya ma, we just fin…" Becca started to answer but paused as she watched Jayne and River. During the course of their conversation River had stolen a bite off Jayne's plate. In retaliation the mercenary had stolen her biscuit. And from there it had gone to war, with River taking his fork, him stealing her plate, her taking his coffee, him retaking his coffee plus her glass of water, her stealing his plate.

Horror overcame Marie as she realized where this was going. She was not going to clean up after a food fight. "Jayne!" Marie called out as he tossed a biscuit at the giggling River. The two froze in mid act and immediately began setting the table back to proper order. "Matty," Marie called, noticing that her eldest teenage daughter had already finished eating, "Why don't you take River outside and show her around a little bit before school. Would you like that River honey?"

River nodded quickly rising from her chair she followed after Becca, "On Earth-that-was the word for "war" means "desire for more cows" in Sanskrit." Matty giggled in response and the two girls started off for the barn.

Marie Cobb watched them go for a second with a happy smile, and then turned back to glare at her eldest son. "I still can't believe that you didn't come home to get married. You could have at least told us in one of your letters." Marie Cobb scolded as she set another cup of coffee before her son before taking her own seat.

"Aw ma will you let it go already. I can't even remember the wedding myself."

"Sa gua son of mine." Daniel muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Getting flashed for goodness sake!"

"Was probably real impromptu, ya know, I proposed, she said yes, we got married on the ship, kind of deal." Leaning back in his chair, Jayne lifted the five year old Jessie from his lap and placed her in River's empty chair. "Why you asking bout this again, ma?"

Daniel looked up from the plate for a moment. "Ain't you got the paperwork on you boy?"

Jayne shook his head, "It's probably with Vera and all our clothes, wherever that stuff is. And in cause ya'll are forgetting, my wife's a fugitive from the damned Alliance, it ain't like I'm gonna go and broadcast her location on all fronts. We had to lay low and keep matters secret, wouldn't surprise me at all if there weren't no paperwork."

Seeing that she had touched to closely on a delicate matter, Marie rolled her eyes and tired to change the subject, "Now why on earth did you name your gun Vera, boy."

"Don't change the subject ma, and I named her Vera 'cause it suited."

"It's a nice name for a gun!" Daniel casually commented, digging into another helping of scrambled eggs he tired to ignore the glare Marie gave him as he grabbed another biscuit.

"Why this bothering ya so much ma? I thought ya liked River?" Jayne asked.

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she gazed at her first born baby, "It's just that I've been to all four of my children's weddings, and now I found out that I missed my baby boy's. I just reckon it stings a little to know that I didn't get to see you marry that sweet little girl."

"You didn't miss anything ma, I promise!" Jayne declared, reaching out to pat his mother's shoulder comfortingly before rising. "Keep an eye on River, will ya ma? She's got a tendency to wander off into uninvited trouble." Leaning down he kissed his mother on the check, grabbed one of his father's cowboy hats and headed off for the stables to saddle a horse and find River.

Marie turned to Daniel with a slow smile. "No paperwork!"

Automatically seeing where his wife's thoughts were going, Daniel dropped his fork to the plate, "Now Marie, you know how Jayne feels about that stuff, and who knows how long he's gonna be staying here. You don't want the boy not speaking to you for three months when he's only going to be here for a few weeks."

"Oh posh." Marie answered with a bright smile. "It won't do no harm and he'll get over it." Rising from her chair Marie bustled off to finish getting the younger children ready for school.

* * *

"Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren dou gaisi." The captain yelled as he walked up the ramp, Wash following behind him. "Get us in the air and to the next gou cao de camp." 

"Yes, Captain." Wash replied as the captain closed the ramp. Racing up the stairs he turned back to watch Mal kick a container in frustration before continuing to the cockpit. Slipping into his seat he started the engines, pulling the ship into the air as comm. static filtered over the radio, clearing into the voice of Zoe. "Shuttle two to Serenity."

Reaching up he pulled down the receiver, "Lamby toes, please tell me that you found our wayward souls."

"That's a negative; I'm assuming no luck on your side either. We're heading to the next camp."

* * *

"Trachelium, derived from the Greek meaning 'rough throat', also commonly known as 'Blue Throatwort.' From the flower family Campanulaceae and used as a medicinal herb to treat neck and throat disorders." River declared picking up pink clustered panicles of tiny flowers. 

Jayne looked up as he followed her through the field of wild flowers leading the horse behind him. His thoughts were distracted, worry plaguing him as he recalled the look his ma had been given him as he'd ridden up to collect River after lunch. She was up to something; he could feel it in his stomach.

"Nothing painful!" River spoke up suddenly her head lifting up from the flowers she was gathering to stare at her husband.

"Huh," Jayne whispered, stumped by her words for a second before it dawned on him that she'd been reading his thoughts, "What's she up to?"

"Secret." River answered, ignoring Jayne's scowl as she stopped by a bunch of pretty white flowers. "Freesias, named after Dr Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese, a German physician, belongs to the Iridaceae family."

"Why for is it a secret?"

River ignored his question as she picked the flowers and turned heading back towards him, "Bouquet, historically derived to ward off evil and attract luck. Used as a metaphor for fertility, romance and everlasting love, commonly including ivy as symbol for fidelity. Hold please." She declared holding the arrangement of pink and white flowers towards her husband.

"Why for?"

* * *

Marie whipped her hands on her apron, watching as the sun slowly began its descent behind the horizon. "Matty, Becca, bring the little ones in now, time to get cleaned up." She watched quietly as the two teenagers gathered together their three younger siblings and steered them inside. 

Watching her children scurry inside she turned her gaze back to the distant setting sun just in time to spot River and Jayne come into view. The small girl was sitting side saddle in his lap, holding a bunch of white and pink flowers as Jayne guided the horse to the porch. "Did you enjoy your ride?"

River nodded as Jayne swung down from the horse, reaching back up he grabbed her waist and easily lifted her from the saddle. Cradling the bouquet in her arms the smaller woman walked quietly over to the porch. "Gathered theses, Jayne wouldn't hold them though."

"Aren't they pretty!" Marie cooed wrapping her arm around River she started to led the girl inside, before calling over her shoulder, "Jayne, go help you pa harness the horses, then come in and get cleaned up."

Turning away from the porch Jayne started for the barn, "Damn right I wouldn't hold them." He muttered leading the horse into the building. He grunted a greeting to his father before leading the animal into an empty stall and quickly un-tacking the horse.

"Boy," Daniel called as he finished harnessing one of the wagon horses, "There's something I need to say to ya."

Jayne emerged from the stall walking quietly over to his father, "What's that?" He questioned stepping forward Jayne took the reins into his hands as his father bent over to buckle the straps of the harness.

Daniel sighed, "Your ma's got something special planned tonight, and I want you to play along with her, even though you ain't gonna like it."

"Why for?" Jayne demanded angrily, already envisioning the thousands of horrifying prospects of torture and pain his mother could unintentionally give him.

Daniel looked up from his work with a scowl, "Boy, don't make me guilt trip ya." Jayne's frown only deepened at his father's words. "You're gonna do whatever your ma says and you're gonna like it. You've been off world for too many years, and I ain't saying that we don't appreciate all that you done for us, but sending money ain't the same as visiting. Your ma's been worryin bout you since the day you left, and you showin' up flashed with a wife ain't helpin' your situation any. The least you can do is play along tonight."

"But pa…"

"Don't make me have to whip your ass, son."

* * *

The Chinese Moon Festival was one of the few gathering's that the entire town tended to show up for as it was the last good reason to enjoy oneself before the hardships of winter set in. Considerin that it was, all the stops were generally pulled out. 

The women of Ellsinore spent days in advance preparing cool pies, mooncakes and any other treats that could be thought of. Everybody else worked on erecting a temporary dance floor in the center of town and building a small puppet theater for the children of Ellsinore. Red lanterns were strewn across the streets to provide ample illumination, and every sort of whiskeys, alcohols or sweet wines poured in from cross world.

As Jayne pulled the horses to a halt near all the other wagons he couldn't help but remember several of these he'd attended in the past. The held quite a few first time memories; first time he kissed a girl, first time he'd gotten drunk and passed out, first time he'd laid with a woman. And some rather painful memories too, first time he'd nearly been beaten into a pulp, first time he met Duncan the backstabbing hun dan, and consequently the first time he'd said goodbye to his mother and family.

Pushing off the memories Jayne jumped down from the wagon and turned to help his ma. Seeing Marie settled on solid ground he reached back up to help River down. He'd scarcely set her feet on the ground before Marie, Isabella and the two teenagers had swept her off, leaving Jayne to stare down at the place where she'd stood, momentarily confused.

"Come on boy, lots of people you ain't seen in twenty years." Daniel declared leading his son away from the wagon and into the festivities. The tables of mooncakes, pies, and other delectable treats were already crawling with children of all ages and sizes. The puppet theater was in full swing, surrounded by the little ones and their watchers. A lively jig filled the air coming from the small little band that stood up on the dance floor, where young and old couples swirled their partners in a disarray of patterns and dances.

Daniel proceed to drag his son around the gathered company of people, quickly pointing out the faces of those Jayne had grown up alongside. But thankfully before the older man could reintroduce his son to a single familiar face, the music abruptly died down as Shepherd Jargon clapped his hands together, calling attention to himself on the dance floor stairs. "Gathered friends, neighbors and family, Mrs. Marie Cobb had just informed me of some splendid news."

Jayne groaned as he realized what was about to happen. Seeing that his pa was engrossed in the Shepherd's words he decided to make a break for it, weren't no way n hell he was going to go through with this. Jayne slowly started to back away from the crowd, managing one or two steps at a time before he suddenly found a brother on each arm. William smiled "Now where you think you're going?" he asked, dragging Jayne forward to the front of the crowd.

"Jayne Cobb, a head strong young lad you may all remember, has returned after his rather long departure to visit his family for a few weeks." The Shepherd declared, motioning to where William and Jamie dragged their elder brother forward.

The crowd stared at Jayne, their eyes searching for some sign of the young man that had left twenty years ago, and consequently making him mighty uncomfortable. "His mother also informs me that he denied her a certain pleasurable sight, and we would now attempt to mend that." The Shepherd continued, "So if you would all play along, you would be honored with the sight of young Jayne's re-matrimony to a right pretty young lass." Jayne groaned as a burst of applause and cheers rose from the gathered crowd.

"Settle down, ya'll." Daniel called out interrupting the joyful crowd. Once quiet had resumed he nodded to the preacher, "We're ready to begin when you are Shepherd."

With the elder man's nod of consent Daniel turned and walked back through the crowd, making an impromptu isle for the bride, before disappearing. He reemerged seconds later with River tucked neatly on his arm. Jayne couldn't help but grin as he watched the shock settle over the crowd, their gazes fixed to the pretty young woman who'd agreed to marry him. River was still wearing the same old red dress, but her hair had been neatly braided and a crown of daisies lay atop her. She carried the self same bouquet she'd picked this afternoon, a bright loopy smile on her face.

Father and daughter-in-law proceed down the makeshift isle to the soft strains of a flute, the crowd staring at them in awe, probably wondering where Jayne had managed to pick up the pretty young lass, and why she'd chosen him.

The music died down as the two came to a halt in front of the Shepherd and Jayne, "Who gives this woman?" Jargon questioned with a bright smile.

"Since her own pa ain't here," Daniel declared as he reached out to place her hand in his son's, "I guess I do." Marie let out a tearful sob as she stepped forward to link her arm with Daniel's. Matty and Becca giggled, while all the rest of Jayne's siblings simply grinned up at the sight.

"Very well then," Jargon began and then spotting the chance for a sermon continued, "Marriage is a great and harmonious event, meant to sanctify the union of two people. But it is also abused. Used for lustful and carnal ways of sin and greed," His eyes sought out those of his parish who'd taken to more demonic and sinful ways.

Jayne blocked out the old man's words and shifted nervously on his feet, he wished to god that he'd brought his gun, then maybe he could have had a say in these dealings. Maybe he could've grabbed River and gotten the hell outta here. Instead he felt like a side show, a spectacle to amuse his folks, and he hated the thought that they were using River like this too. Marriage was a private thing between man and woman, there weren't no need to drag it out in the public like this. He got a pain in his chest just from thinking about it.

Damn, his mother was gonna give him a heart attack.

Leaning in close Daniel dropped his voice as the Shepherd continued to rant on the subject of matrimony, "Why you look so nervous boy? It ain't like this is the first time you got hitched!"

"Feels like it." Jayne muttered under his breath as he silently prayed to whatever power there was to get the ceremony over with before he strangled somebody or she said something crazy. Unfortunately the preacher had moved from the subject of matrimony to that of treating neighbors properly and Jayne felt the urge to act before he was forced to listen to a three hour sermon. "Hey preacher man," Jayne declared leaning forward, "Ya might wanna move it along, ain't got all night!"

Jargon stumbled back a step, quickly collecting his thoughts he smiled wearily at the taller man and refocused his attention, "We are gathered here to unite these two in holy matrimony. Do you Jayne take this…" He paused staring down at the girl in confusion.

"River." Jayne growled.

"Do you Jayne take this woman, River, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He answered gruffly, his hand tightening its hold on River's arm.

"Do you River take this man, Jayne, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

River turned her head, grinning up at Jayne with an adorable, albeit slightly loopy, smile, "For all the stars in all the skies, I do."

"Then by the power invested in me through the planet of Terra Five and local authorities, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Turning away from the grinning man Jayne looked down at River almost nervously.

Gorram it, this was his wife, he'd probably kissed her a thousand times over, he shouldn't be feeling this nervous.

Deciding to get it over with Jayne leaned down, capturing her lips with his own before another thought dared make an entrance. From that moment on he deiced that he never wanted to stop kissing her. Wrapping his hands around her waist he pulled the smaller woman closer, unintentionally lifting her feet of the ground as he deepened the kiss, exploring the curve of her lips, tasting the warmth of her mouth as her arms wrapped securely around his neck. He vaguely caught the sound of her moan against his lips as one of his hands slipped down to run the length of her thigh.

Daniel cleared his throat stepping forward, "Son, you're in public, plenty of time for that later." Jayne's eyes went wide and he quickly released River. "Right," Daniel declared turning back to the beaming group of settlers, "Now let's get to the celebrating!"

The crowd broke up slowly, several of the familiar faces stepped forward to congratulate the couple. As Jayne listened to them gush over his pretty bride he felt the greatest desire to escape and finish what he'd started with kissing her. He slipped his hands around River's waist, his hands playing with the soft cotton of her dress, greedy for a feel of the skin beneath.

Shepherd Jargon suddenly stepped forward into view and smiled. 'Well there goes that plan' Jayne thought as the Shepherd handed a document to the couple, "Sign this and it'll all be official on the planet of Terra Five."

Jayne furrowed his eyebrow, "Didn't ma tell ya we were already married?"

"She enlightened me on the entire matter." The Shepherd responded winking at the couple in a conspiratorial manner. "Your secret is safe with me young lady. And don't worry bout the Alliance, the actual documentation I send won't list her full name, just her married name. The Alliance doesn't much care for wedding documentations, only birth ones, they won't ask too many questions, if any. But I'll give you a copy with her proper maiden name and all, just in case this mess ever clears up."

Jayne reluctantly signed his name to the paper. Handing it over to River, he watched her quietly scrawl her name across the bottom and felt a bad feeling seep into his bones. He couldn't quite shake the feeling as the Shepherd walked off, but he pushed it to the back of his mind for later.

River suddenly pulled on his shirt, bringing his attention back down to her she smiled up at him, "_Hunger goes in a straight line, desire turns in circles." _

Confused by her words he quickly glanced out across the group of people in search of clarity, and found it. His father stood in line for food and his mother was currently being spun around the dance floor by one of his younger brothers. Seeing as they were the only two who meant to keep him here, the time to escape was now. "Gorram it, why didn't I bring my own horse?"

"Jayne Cobb." The couple turned at the sound of the voice and Jayne cursed loudly, his gripping tightening around River's waist as he glared down on the shorter man who approached. "Now is that any kind of welcome for an old friend."

"Never was a time when I called you friend Jonah, and I ain't ever planning on being your friend." Releasing River Jayne stepped forward to stare down intimidating like at the strange man, "Fact, if I had my way you wouldn't be breathing right about now."

"Can't let go of old grudges, huh old man?" Jonah declared, moving his gaze away from Jayne he stared down at River. "Now ain't she a pretty thing, why don't you introduce us."

"Don't see no reason why I should." Jayne answered darkly; once again confused as to why he in the seven hells of Buddha he'd left his own gun home and desperately wishing someone at this local shindig had brought one so that he could blow the man's brains out.

River tensed up, sensing the history between them, but not the reason. It confused her, as this man's thoughts were dark and frigid, frightening her with their intensity of hate. And in return she felt Jayne's mind go cold in response, felt his desperation for a weapon held at bay only by his desire to keep the girl River safe.

"Now ain't that up to her?" Jonah questioned, turning to River he smiled a kind of condescending smile as he held out his hand to her. "Names Jonah Arnold, and yours?"

River stared down at the outstretched hand, "Covered in shadows," she whispered, "red blood smeared over them, the lives of innocent children, stolen from the nurtured care of a mother's womb."

Jonah's mouth gaped open for a second before he reacted to her words, "Ruttin' bitch…" He stared to say, swinging his hand forward to slap her he suddenly found it unable to move, caught in the tight grip of Jayne's hand as Jayne's fist descend on his face, sending the shocked man crashing backwards to the ground.

Jayne glared down at the cursing form of Jonah as he flexed his fist in preparation for another hit, "You were about to say somethin?"

"Jayne!" The sound of his mother's panicked cry put a stop to any further damage the mercenary had been planning on delivering to the bleeding man at his feet. "What happened?" She questioned racing over to the two with a whole parcel of town folk following after her.

"Boy had a little too much to drink is all." Jayne explained as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and started to lead her away, "Ain't nothin' to fuss about."

* * *

"What do think they're doing right now?" Simon asked Kaylee quietly, staring out the window at the dark night sky, worry plaguing his features. 

"Well I suppose, hopefully, they're sleeping by now. Or, knowing Jayne, he's trying to figure a way outta their predicament." She watched the frown deepen over his face, guessed where his thoughts were headed, "I know you don't like Jayne too much, he's rude and course and he ain't very refined. But Jayne's like a big brother. He'll tease and heckle ya, he'll even hurt ya sometimes, but in the end when ya need him most he'll be there to help ya." Kaylee declared walking over to wrap her arm about Simon she leaned into his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll keep River safe, sides he knows what the Captain would do to him if she got hurt. Jayne won't do nothin' to harm her!"

* * *

River moaned as Jayne pushed her back against the bedroom door, his lips eagerly kissing down her pale neck line. His arm caught between her waist and the door, keeping a steady grip on her smaller form as the other one inched up along her leg, bunching the red dress up as he trailed his fingers across the tight smooth skin of her thigh. River moaned again arching her back as her long nails dug into the exposed flesh of his shoulders. 

Damn, no wonder he'd married her, she felt like some kind of euphoric drug in his embrace. His heart pounded in his ears, his fingers trembled with desire; his entire body pulsed with the need to feel her. Of all the woman he'd had over his life not a one had brought him this kind of heart aching need. He lifted her thigh, crushing his hips to hers, already addicted to the quick feel of pleasure that shot through his body as their hips came into closer contact.

River was lost in the tumbling feelings that pulsed through her head, lost in the feel of his hands on her body, the desire and pure need that radiated off him. She felt the girl within her shudder with delight as his hands danced across her flesh, as his lips again sought hers. There was no time for coherent thought, only the desperate knowledge that as their minds had already been joined, their bodies should soon follow suit.

Realizing that their current position was not helping move things along, Jayne flipped them, turning so his back was now pressed up against the door, his hand leaving the soft skin of her thigh to traverse to the back of her dress, tugging frantically at the stubborn zipper. River followed his example, releasing her grip on his shoulders her nimble fingers flew forward to make quick work of unbuttoning his shirt, pushing the soft material off his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor as he finished unzipping her dress. His hands swept across the soft exposed skin of her back, his mind losing itself among the soft curves.

Yet, he couldn't stop one thought from bouncing though his head before surrendering to the feel of her skin beneath his fingers. "Mal's gonna kill me." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers again. Course he couldn't figure out who in hell Mal was and didn't much care at that moment.

* * *

Jayne woke just before dawn. Slowly untangling his legs from his wife's he sat up, grinning down at her smaller form for a second. Damn she was cute all cuddled up, hair all mussed from last nights event, the grin across his face grew larger. Swinging his legs off the bed he stood, quickly pulling his boxers on before searching for where his pants had landed. 

Spotting his pants across the room he padded over, reaching down to pick them up. A pain laced down his shoulder briefly and he looked over, trying to figure out what had caused it. He couldn't help but grin at this sight of her bite mark. He only prayed that they hadn't been as loud as their actions. Things had gotten a little bit out of control, hadn't really meant to… images flashed through his mind as his thoughts dwindled and a larger grin spread across his cheeks.

Shaking off his thoughts he tried to concentrate as he quickly pulled on his pants. Course the sight of her sprawled across the bed tangled in the sheets wasn't helping him much and the grin quickly returned. Grabbing his boots and shirt he slipped out of the bedroom. 'Today was going to be a good day!' He decided before heading out to the barn to help his pa with the chores.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean they ain't here, gotta be here, this is the last gorram camp on the list." Mal yelled angrily at his gathered crew, his gaze sweeping around the small mining camp in hopes of spotting his wayward crewmembers. 

"They ain't here sir." Zoe answered calmly. "We tore up every inch of this camp; no one even recognizes the photo of River."

"Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren dou gaisi."

"Have you tried the homesteaders?" Mal turned towards the sound of the voice and found himself facing off with the stocky and bulky man who called himself the foreman of this little outfit. "Been known to intervene, rescue any poor soul they can."

"Ya don't say?" Mal declared, quietly calming himself down. "And the reason you're providing this information would be?"

The foreman glared up at Mal, "Not everybody takes in those that are flashed, too much trouble if you ask me." Turning the foreman headed back towards his mines without a second glance at the rag tag crew.

"We got a list of those homesteaders?" Mal questioned turning his glances to Wash and then to Zoe.

* * *

Notes… 

_Hunger goes in a straight line, desire turns in circles. _Is a Romanian proverb

And thanks to the reviewers… Ya'll have been great.

Coshuko thanks for the note about the Chinese…

Chinese Translations…

"Hun dan" means "jerk"

"Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren dou gaisi" means "Fuck you. Damn everyone in the 'verse." or "Fuck everyone in the universe to death." Again depending on who you talk to.

"Gou cao de" means "Dog-fucking"


	5. Chapter Four: The Wrong Timing

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Four: The Wrong Timing

* * *

The sun had barely started setting in the distance when Jayne steered the horse to the small pool of water just on the other side of town. It was a bright clear pool of mountain spring water, nestled in small grove surrounded by lush, tall evergreens that towered above. It made a prime spot for necking or bathing, all depending on whether you were adult or hormonal youngster. Though it was by far not an unknown spot, it was also relatively avoided this time of year as most were too busy with harvest duties and the water tended to be too cold for any of the more pansy ass weaklings in town, which is exactly why Jayne had chosen to take River here. 

Unfortunately the events of the night before had gotten a slight reception from the others in the house. Jayne had spent the entire day avoiding his father's knowing grin and sly comments. Course it hadn't helped when his mother gave him a secretive smile at breakfast, rather it had only ensured his departure. He'd skipped out as soon as breakfast was over, riding over to his younger brother's David's to help a bit with the harvest then over to Jamie's to watch his brother work the cattle. Course now he felt slightly bad about leaving River alone with his parents for more than half the day.

That was partially the reason why he steered the horse towards the water, River's arms wrapped securely around his waist as she rode behind him. He meant to sort of make up for his disappearance and as an added bonus have some more alone time with her in a place where no snooping ears would be in hearing distance… hopefully.

Pulling the horse to a halt Jayne reached around taking hold of River's arm and swinging the smaller girl down from the horse before sliding down himself. She stared at the small pool, watching the stream feed it cool mountain water as Jayne led the horse over to a tree, securing the animal quickly.

Leaving the animal to munch on patches of grass Jayne walked quietly over to the edge of the pool. Dropping the cowboy hat to the ground he pulled the t-shirt over his head and started removing his boots. He paused for a second when he noted that River was not following his example. "What's stopping ya? I may not recall much bout them three years, but I know we ain't had a proper one of these in a long time!"

"The source!" She whispered staring down at the calm clear water, trepidation flashing across her features. "It weaves and flows from on high, trickling down the side of earth arctic." She held out a bare foot, letting it hover over the water for a second, her eyes closed. Yet she never let water touch her foot and set it back on the relative safety of dry land, before taking several steps back away from the water. "Cold."

"Course its cold, that's the best kind of bath when you can't have a hot one!" But River only shook her head in response to his statement. Jayne scoffed, stuffing his socks into his boots he padded quietly over to her. Before she could sense his intentions he knocked her legs from underneath her with his arm and swept her into his embrace.

With a decidedly evil grin he started towards the water.

River shrieked in his arms, struggling to escape as the man waded out into the water. Jayne stopped when the water reached his waist and turned to look at his struggling wife. "You swim?"

"No!" She lied trying to get a hold on him.

Jayne grinned, "That's to bad, cause it's only waist high." That said he dropped her. River screeched as she hit the water, Jayne's laughter following after her. He barreled over with glee, so preoccupied with his own amusement he almost didn't catch the feel of two hands wrapping around his ankles as she pulled his feet from underneath him, sending the mercenary flaying backwards into the water amidst the sounds of her laughter.

* * *

Jonah Arnold frowned as he walked up the steps of the church into the preacher's domain. If there was one woman he feared, one woman whose wrath could make him tremble, it was his mothers. Otherwise he wouldn't have stepped anywhere near the small chapel. Pushing the door open he moved into the sanctuary and walked quickly towards the back, knocking on the preacher's office door. 

"Come in." Pushing the door open Jonah caught the sight of the preacher sitting at his desk, locking one of the drawers. Jonah's curiosity was immediately piqued. "What can I do for you Jonah? I was just about to head on home for the night."

"Ma just wanted me to drop by and give ya a list of her plans for next Sunday, preacher." Jonah explained slipping into the chair he started to pull out the list from his pocket, when another knock disturbed the two.

A young woman poked her head in the door, her face stained with tears, "I'm sorry for disturbing ya'll but can I have a word with ya out here Shepherd?" Jargon of course nodded, standing to follow after her.

As soon as the door closed Jonah jumped, slipping quietly over to the other side of the desk he pulled out his switch blade and easily picked the lock on the old wooden drawer. Yanking it open he picked up the topmost paper and rolled it out on the desk. Revealing the marriage certificate for Jayne Cobb and River Tam? Hell, there weren't nothing secretive or interesting about that. Probably the old man just didn't want nobody going through his paperwork and messin stuff up. Rolling the item up Jonah placed it back into the drawer and reworked the lock before quietly scooting back over to the other side of the desk. He retook his seat, tapping his fingers on the desk in impatience.

River Tam? The name struck a cord in his mind, a cord that sang out money and he wasn't sure why. Pushing the thought back he decided that he might have to look into the name and the history behind the girl. That was after he finished the business of discussing his ma's plans for the upcoming Sunday.

* * *

"What if they're dead sir?" Mal looked up at the sound of his first mates question. "They could be lying in the bushes somewhere between here and the mines. Jayne ain't one to give up without a fight sir." 

"He also ain't real keen on getting himself killed!" Mal pointed out as Zoe landed the shuttle outside of a small cottage. "He's got his stupid moments, but I don't think he'd risk River's life on some fool escape plan where he'd get himself shot." Mal stood moving towards the hatch, he paused for a moment, "Wouldn't start thinking that way until we've tried all these homesteaders."

Mal stepped out into the fresh morning air and tried to keep his thoughts from Zoe's comment. He'd handle that situation when it came to it. Zoe immerged after him and the two started across the small yard.

Mal stepped towards the door, knowing from experience that most the house was probably up doing chores. He'd scarcely lifted his hand to knock when the door opened and a young man stepped out.

"Morning!" The homesteader greeted calmly, as though a stranger in his doorway was no big surprise.

"Howdy," Mal greeted; still slightly baffled he exchanged a quick glance with Zoe. "I don't suppose you could help me, see I lost two crewmembers, figured they got flashed. Don't suppose you would've happened upon them, a big intimidating like man with a little woman?"

The homesteader nodded, heading over to the pump to begin his morning duties. "Rescued me a pair of flashed souls couple days back, fit that description to a tee. A man and his wife, they was flashed in town and my brothers and I happened to witness the occasion. You friends of theirs?"

"Wife sir?" Zoe questioned quietly.

"That's right, Jayne Cobb and his wife, River." Mal answered, ignoring Zoe's comment he followed after the young homesteader. "Don't suppose you still have 'em lying around here somewhere?"

"They weren't doin too well, mighty confused by the situation and all. Would've expected a man of his background to have known better but he was pretty shook up and the drug hit his system hard. Girl weren't doin' much better either." The homesteader explained. "He managed to recall that he had some family cross world, so I sent them on over to get their heads straightened out."

"I don't suppose you remember where that might be?" Mal questioned eagerly.

"Uh, reckon if I recall right it was place called Ellsinore, bought an eight hour ride by train."

"Qingwa cao de liumang." Mal cursed under his breath sending a quick glance at Zoe he turned around and started for the shuttle, calling over his shoulder, "Thank you kindly for your troubles." The homesteader watched them go for a second before turning back to his work. "Zoe get on the horn with Wash, have him meet us in the air."

* * *

Marie looked up from her stitching on the porch as the three girls came out of the house giggling. "Where are you three going?" 

"Gonna perusal striking delights and imagine all the world's a stage." River declared with a grin as she looped her arm with Becca's.

"We were gonna walk into town." Matty explained. "I wanted to show River that fabric Becca was looking over yesterday."

"Alright, just don't get your heart too set on anything that you can't have, and be back with time to spare before dinner." Marie frowned for only a second as her two daughters gently kissed her on the cheek before leading River down the stairs. "If you see Jayne and your father tell them to stop foolin' around with that weapon dealer and bring the wagon on home and not to forget my list of supplies." The girls nodded, waving at the older woman before continuing on their way.

* * *

The ramp came down with a soft thud just outside of town in one of the few clearings that Wash had spotted. Mal stepped out into the fresh air and frowned. "Right, Zoe you head north, Book you and Inara head east, Kaylee and Simon take west. I'll take south, Wash you're with the ship." 

Stepping down onto the hard soil Mal turned back to glance over his crew. "When you find them report back to Serenity and leave them be! Wash you radio me and Zoe, will take em' in. I ain't got no idea what flashing entails but it might be something mighty unpleasant. I don't want anymore surprises, had enough of them on this damn planet already."

* * *

River smiled as she and Jayne's two teenage sisters stepped out of the small shop. "What do you wanna do now, River hon?" Becca questioned with a typical teenager bored sigh as they walked down the store stairs into the street. 

"Hey, why don't we head over to see what the boys have been doin' all day. Never much liked looking at weapons, but maybe pa will give us some coin and we can get something sweet from one of the stores." Matty declared enthusiastically, already sure that she could sweet talk at lest one coin out of her pa. River suddenly pulled the two girls to a near screeching halt in the middle of the street. "What's the matter River?"

River swung her head to the right and then to the left. "They're coming; north, south, east, west, coming on all fronts. No stopping them, they'll be here soon. They'll drown the girl and crack the rock. Things will go back to the wrong way." River pulled away from the two girls, spinning around her eyes frantically searching the street, "Jayne? Jayne?" She called out.

"River?" Matty questioned tentatively reaching out to her sister-in-law.

Using her hands to cover her head protectively, River shook her head no to something that the two girls couldn't understand, and then suddenly cried out, "Get Jayne!" The two teenagers jumped at her words, running off quickly towards the weapon shop and leaving the girl in the middle of the street.

"We'll if it ain't our little wayward soul!" Mal declared as he spotted her. Trotting over he crossed the street, coming up to the frightened girl. "You caused a whole mess of trouble, little River. Your brother has been pacing my ship like it was in need of a new hole." Reaching out he took a hold of her elbow, steering the smaller girl towards Serenity.

Pulling away River looked up at the unfamiliar man, "Don't know you, don't wanna go rest in peace. Don't want them to come back, rather stay in the light, don't want the darks back."

Mal furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but then quickly shook his thoughts off. Of course her words didn't make sense the girl was crazy. Reaching out he grabbed her arm, and started pulling her back towards Serenity, ignoring her struggling. "Simon will fix you something nice and calming soon as we get back." He assured, reaching back to grab a hold of her other arm when her struggles started slowing them down.

The methodic clicking of an automatic shotgun put a halt to all of Mal's plans. "Take your ruttin hands off my wife!" The distinctively familiar gruff voice demanded. Slowly Mal turned his head around to stare down the barrel and onto a mightily pissed off Jayne.

"What in the name of suoyou de dou shidang is going on here?" Mal questioned angrily as he turned to fully face Jayne. River squirmed in his grip, darting away quickly as she slipped free and joined Jayne, clinging to his form.

"Seems to me I should be asking you that question." Jayne growled the gun still leveled at Mal's head. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Damn right you do!" Mal yelled angrily. "You work for me!"

"Na, that ain't it!" Jayne declared wearily. Pictures formed in his head, a transport ship, hidden cargo, Marco laughing, a woman at the man's side, her eyes piercing Jayne's wearily. "I held a gun on you and some lady. Don't remember how it ended though."

The commotion had formed a small crowd around them and it parted as Daniel Cobb angrily pushed through them. Matty and Becca tagged behind William, Jamie and David, watching worriedly from a safe vantage point. "What's going on here son?" Daniel Cobb questioned as he took up a position behind with his three boys staring down at Mal from the barrels of their own guns.

"I don't know pa, found this hun dun trying to haul off River." Jayne explained.

"Sir?" Zoe suddenly questioned wearily as she pushed through the crowd, pulling her own gun in defense of the Captain, Book and Inara following after her. "You mind telling us why Jayne is pointing a gun at you?"

"I'm a might bit confused about that myself!"

* * *

Simon glanced briefly around the shop, Kaylee following in after him. Seeing no sign of River he turned and headed over to the counter. "Excuse me." Simon declared, drawing the shopkeeper's attention away from his book and to the young couple. "I'm looking for a girl, she was flashed across world and we have reason to believe she was brought here." 

The shopkeeper frowned, shaking his head with pity. "Sad ain't it, reduced to stealing women for their men over there. Can you describe the lass for me, son?"

"Ah, she's about…" Simon began.

A loud commotion suddenly echoed in through the open door and a flustered young man entered the shop out of breath, a shotgun resting under his arm. "Wilkes grab your gun, someone's trying to grab Jayne's wife cross town, boys got 'em pegged, but they might need back up." The shopkeeper ignored the couple's shocked and flustered looks as he reached behind him and pulled down a double barrel rifle, running out after the younger man. "Don't go nowhere boy, be right back!"

"Jayne's got a wife?" Kaylee questioned turning to Simon.

"Oh dear lord!" Was all she got from the flustered doctor as he turned and raced after the gunmen.

* * *

"Captain I think you'd better think faster." Zoe whispered watching as several men began closing in on the group, "Looks like we got a whole town full of Jaynes and they ain't looking too happy, Sir." 

"I see 'em." Turning back to the mighty angry Jayne Mal cursed, "Tell me something, Zoe." The captain asked his first mate, "Am I looking at River and Jayne?"

"It looks like them, sir."

"Then what the hell is going on?"

"I was waiting for you to explain." The mercenary answered, his finger twitching over the trigger, "What would you think if you saw a man dragging your wife down the street in a hurry?"

"She ain't your wife." Mal answered, then immediately regretted it as Jayne let a bullet fly. An inch closer and it would have been bye-bye life hello afterlife.

"Say that again." Jayne demanded angrily.

"River!" Simon called out as he and Kaylee suddenly pushed through the crowd. "Captain what's going on?"

"Don't ask me, I ain't got a clue."

River slowly lifted her head, turning to gaze at her flustered brother, but unwilling to remove her arms from Jayne's waist. "Simon?"

"You know him, baby?" Jayne questioned, still unwilling to move his gaze, or gun, from Mal.

River scrunched her eyebrows and reached out, touching her mind to his gently. Simon was confused, Simon was angry. Simon didn't like that she was holding onto her rock. None of it made sense, if he was standing there why did her memories tell her that he was dead? "You're dead Simon!"

"No, River, I'm not dead." Simon whispered, starting to step forward he reached out to his sister. "I'm right here." River pulled her mind and eyes away, clinging tightly to Jayne, as the second set of memories started seeping back. She didn't want it to end, she wouldn't let it end.

"Hold it right there, boy," Jayne ordered, swinging the gun over towards the doctor. Directing his speech down to River, but keeping his eyes steady on Simon and Mal, he asked her quietly, "Simon? As in your brother Simon?"

The wheels began turning in his head, things trying to fit together and make sense. The face seemed to suddenly match the name and he remembered some of Simon. A stuck up pompous ass, thought he was better then everybody else on the ship, couldn't take care of himself, couldn't even handle a gun properly.

Lowering his weapon slightly, but not totally, Jayne let his gaze flicker between Mal and Simon. "Did he hire you or something to find my little woman here?"

"No, I hired you. And we took them on as passengers."

"You ain't makin' any sense!" Jayne declared angrily, "I rescued the little lady from a core hospital where they was messin' with her mind. I ain't never been hired by you."

"I'm Captain Malcolm Reynolds…"

The voices faded as the world stopped turning on its axis, time stopped and then just as suddenly is started again.

_Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Serenity, mid bulk transport ship, smuggling cargo, own bunk and kitchen privileges. _

_Girl, girl in a container, fed sold them out, printed cargo, gorram reavers. Girl, crazy girl in the container, stupid gorram doctor, stupid gorram girl ruined it all, threat to Serenity. _

_Niska, train, "You just play at figurin' what's wrong with that moonbrained sister of yours till we call for ya. Dong ma?" Damn bullet wound to the leg. "Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command."_

_He looked bigger when I couldn't see him… I'll just sit here real intimidating like, see if gorram fed dares asks me any questions. "You saved his gorram life, he still takes the cargo. Hun dan." _

_Persephone… 'Nara and Mal… A duel, with swords? "I could get naked." Sad little king of a sad little hill. _

_Serves that gorram doctor right…"Dear Diary...today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today, we were kidnapped by hill folk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever." Life would be a whole lot simpler without a pair of fugitives on board. _

_"A trade? Hell, it's theft. This is the best damn gun made by man. It has extreme sentimental value. It's miles more worthy than what you got." …Why'd Mal get a wife, way better then a stupid rain stick? "See Vera, dress yourself up you get taken out somewhere fun." _

_Hero of Canton, I ain't no hero? Sixty thousand untraceable… "I don't know. You think we should be using my fame to hoodwink folks?" Stupid gorram boy shouldn't have done that, I ain't worth it. _

_Damn doc, blow out the candles already… Compression coil, Zoe down, Mal wasting oxygen, 'Nara's shuttle smells funny. _

_The girl… River… slashing chest with butcher's knife... Ariel, pa says anyone without a job ain't looking hard enough. Drugs, hospital, brain scans, money too good, copper for a kiss. "You shut the hell up right now or so help me, I'll shut you up."_

_Niska, little man and Mal gone, "You really think you can mount a two man assault on Niska's skyplex and live?" Gorram it, how come I always get shot? _

_Don't trust the captain's psychotic bride, loot sounds fun though…"She starts on that 'girl's name' thing, I'm gonna show her good an' all I got man parts." Also, I can kill you with my brain. _

_Gorram genius can't eat a snow globe, hat from Ma, "What ya'll order a dead guy for?" Stiffs, ones I ain't killed, make me uncomfortable. _

_Damn ugly Bordello, pretty whores, "Can I start gettin' sexed already?" Favorite guns all lined up, when I drop one you hand me the next. _

"_I don't leave my guns around, Mal, and I don't leave them loaded." Not Jayne's fault! She kills with mathematics don't like the sound of that, already shown a pretense for hurtin' me; don't like the idea of someone hearing what I'm thinking either._

Jayne watched the gun drop from his hand. "Right, now was just a misunderstanding, you'll all move on off." He heard his father's voice but he couldn't see him. All he could concentrate on was the breath that caught in his chest. His body trembling…

Lies… it had all been lies… marriage ceremony, first kiss, meeting on Ariel, proposal, three years of lies, of made up lies, thousands of memories all just dead.

Jayne turned slowly, looking down on River's sparkling face. His eyes started stinging, he felt like puking.

It weren't possible, couldn't be, not possible.

Her sad eyes meet his and his heart started aching, his body trembling as his throat constricted, his lungs fighting to pump air. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. Vaguely Jayne heard Matty calling his name as his legs gave out and he dropped stunned to his knees before River.

He couldn't breathe, didn't want to breathe.

He felt the tears boiling behind his eyes and buried his face in her stomach, wrapping his arms around her, his body trembling as he held tightly. Vaguely Jayne caught he sound of her sobs, feeling her tears as they fell atop his head, felt her small arms wrap around his head, holding him tightly to her.

"It ain't possible, ain't happening." He heard himself say against her stomach.

He wasn't gonna let go, wasn't ever gonna let go.

"It ain't possible, ain't happening."

The crew of Serenity stood shocked and stunned into silence, listening quietly to the sobs of River, to Jayne as he kept repeating the same words over and over again. Tears gathered in the corners of Kaylee's eyes and she didn't know why. Inara reached out unconsciously towards Mal.

Matty burst into tears, throwing her arms around her nearest brother, she buried her face in his chest, blocking out the sight of her eldest brother and his wife.

"River?" Simon whispered, torn to pieces by the sound of her sobs he started to step forward, but suddenly found Mal's arms pulling him back.

"Leave them be, for now." He whispered, afraid to break into the silence of the air. "Something happened while we were gone. Until we find out, I think its best you let her be."

"Jamie, Matty, Becca, go bring the wagon round." Daniel Cobb ordered, quickly taking charge of the scene. He turned slowly approaching his eldest son and River like they were dangerous, yet fragile creatures.

Daniel directed his attention to his daughter-in-law first, reaching out to pull the hair from her face and lift her chin. "River, darling, I know it hurts, but we can't fix anything here, you gotta let go of him for a second, I promise it won't be for long. We'll fix everything if you just let go for a second."

"Can't understand, can't comprehended, the girl is drowning, the river's chipping away her rock. There nothing left to cling too, can't let go."

Dropping down to his son's level Daniel rested on the balls of his feet, trying to see his boy's face, "Jayne boy, I need you to listen to me." Daniel looked up for a second as the wagon clattered noisily around the corner and reached out to touch his son's shoulder. "Jayne boy, I need you to show me that you can understand what I'm saying."

Slowly pulling his head back, Jayne turned to look at his father and nearly broke the man's heart. Daniel had seen his son through the worst of scrapes and bruises and had never seen him cry. But now the elder man gazed onto a broken and battered soul whose eyes were filled with tears.

"You don't gotta let go of her, Jayne, just need you to stand up for me. Can you do that for me son?" Jayne nodded slowly, pulling himself to his feet I n a manner more befitting of an old broken man then the little energetic boy Daniel remembered. Without being told Jayne swept the smaller girl into his arms, clinging tightly to her, burying his face in the long locks.

He let his father and brother's led him over to the wagon, but he wouldn't let go of her and he climbed into the wagon on his own. "Take them home, Jamie. We'll be along shortly."

Daniel stood for a second, watching his children drive off before he turned to Serenity's dead silent crew and quietly walked over to them, "Captain Reynolds." He declared quietly, "Jayne talked a lot bout you, respected you a bunch." Then looking at each of the crewmember in turn he spoke their name. "Kaylee, Inara, Book, Zoe." And finally he turned to Simon with a sad smile, "I reckon you must be the Gorram Doctor. I'm Daniel Cobb, Jayne's pa if you haven't guessed it by now."

"I know ya'll got a bunch of questions and ya'll are looking' a might bit worried about my boy." Daniel frowned in thought, "Told him never to get flashed." He whispered more to himself then turned back to the six crewmembers. "Anyway, I can answer all your questions, if you'll just follow me. Ya might wanna have you ship meet ya nearer to the house, plenty of room to park it there. Be a might bit safer too."

* * *

Marie Cobb slowly descended the stairs into the living room. She gave a weak smile to the group that gathered there, tears clouding her eyes, "They're sleeping now." She whispered, "Probably won't wake until morning." Her voice cracked and she quickly wiped away a tear that slipped down her cheek. "Ya'll hungry? Probably starving I'll go fix something." She didn't wait for an answer but moved off to the kitchen to cry some more. 

Daniel Cobb watched her go for a second before sending Matty after her with a shake of his head and turning to face off with the crew of Serenity. "I reckon ya'll don't know much about being flashed."

"Only what Jayne once told me." Kaylee volunteered, "That they used a bright light to paralyze men and then dragged them off to work in the mines."

"That ain't all it does." Daniel sighed. "It causes a memory loss, anywhere from six months up to fifteen or twenty years, all depending on the circumstances. It ain't permanent; eventually they figure everything out for themselves, who they are and where they belong and all. I ain't no doctor or scientist, and I can't explain how it works, but that's what happened to Jayne and River, had their memories wiped back three years."

"I don't understand what this has to do with the scene they made in town." Simon whispered. His entire body ached and screamed to go check on his sister, to see with both his eyes and his medicinal knowledge that she was perfectly fine.

Daniel rubbed his forehead slowly, "We'll I ain't sure myself. What I reckon happened was they were pretended to be married when they got flashed. The young homesteaders that rescued them must have told them that they were married." Daniel sighed again, still disoriented by the events, still trying to figure it out himself. "Probably would have been okay otherwise, probably would have sorted out the incoming memories into the right places and all. But that ain't the way it happened."

Mal didn't like the way this conversation was headed, didn't like the softer side of Jayne he'd seen in town, the way River's sobs had sounded so heartbroken. He needed clarity on the event, a way he could fix everything, and Daniel was taking too long, "Tell it to us straight, what happened?"

Daniel wrinkled his forehead, trying to find the words to fit the situation, "They had a three year blank that needed to be filled. And the facts; they was on a planet they shouldn't have been on and they was married to each other, and they believed it, didn't have no reason not to. So when the memories started coming, their mind frames started adapting what they were remembering to what they'd been told."

"Oh God." Inara whispered, drawing confused looks from the crew.

"They must've created whole new lives for the past three years; lives that centered round each other." Daniel took a shaky breath but he continued, "Memories were grouped different. Things, events, actions were shifted or changed to fit the circumstances. You all just triggered the key to the old memories. Now they got two different lives running around their heads."

"So then, the problem is them trying to sort out which one is the right one?" Simon speculated. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"No, son, that ain't the problem, they know which ones are the real and which ones are the fake."

Simon sighed, desperately trying to understand, to formulate a cure for whatever plagued his sister, "I don't understand what the problem is then? Why did they act like that in town, what caused the emotional breakdown that we witnessed?"

"Son, you ain't very smart for a doctor," Daniel declared quietly.

"I've heard about this before." Inara whispered, "I knew a companion whose sister had something similar happen to her, except they called it flaring on her planet. Her sister was flared or flashed and taken to a work camp, told that she was the mother of some orphan children and the wife of another man who'd also been flashed. She created memories centered on those lies, lived that way for several months before her father and brothers rescued her and she got her own memories back." Inara frowned, looking down at her hands to avoid meeting the eyes of the group. "According to Sultana she was a broken shell of the woman that used to be, mourning the memories that she'd made as though she'd died when they were exposed as lies."

"That's what's happening to Jayne and River, something's dying within them. Only thing we can do is give them time and hope their strong enough to recover." Daniel explained.

_

* * *

It was dark and cold; she lay floating in the river, clinging to her rock as it started crumbling, cracking beneath her finger tips. _

_The girl was scared and frightened, confused by the events of today. Her thoughts were plagued with double events, two different lives that mirrored each other, matched in some places, but never quiet fit together. It was a distorted view of her life and confusing. She knew which ones were real, which ones weren't, but that didn't make it any easier because she knew which ones were better, which ones she wanted to believe were the right ones, but they weren't. _

_The river tugged at the girl, trying to pull her down into the mainstream, trying to wash away the happier memories, the lies that she'd been telling herself for the past few days. 'Simon has come, you must let go of the rock.' The river laughed and the girl tightened her grip on the rock._

_And then suddenly the rock sank from her fingers and the girl found herself slipping beneath the waters, fighting the waves as the weight of her dress pulled her down._

River screamed, wrenching herself from the dream disoriented and confused. It was dark and he was gone, she couldn't feel his mind. Pulling herself around she felt for his physical form, her hand reaching out she touched the cold hand and screamed, "JAYNE!"

* * *

Chinese Translations 

"Qingwa cao de liumang" means "Frog-humping son of a bitch"

"suoyou de dou shidang" means "all that's proper"

"hun dan" means "jerk"


	6. Chapter Five: The Wrong Atmosphere

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

To the reviewers, as always my eternal gratitude goes to you. Thanks Katie Shines and Eliane451 for always reviewing, it makes me all giddy. And thanks for the offer Twitchy Louie, though I don't think my beta likes it, I may just take you up on the offer.

Chapter Five: The Wrong Atmosphere

* * *

"JAYNE!" 

Simon was the first one of his feet as her loud scream shook the house. Panic and disorder rained down on the occupants of the living room as the young Doctor sprinted for the stairs, Daniel and Mal close on his heels.

Simon guessed at which door to choose, following the sound of her screams. Shoving the light wood door open with his full body weight he skidded to a halt at the sight that greeted him. River's hands gripped Jayne's shirt, holding him half way in a sitting position, tears streaking down her face as she cradled his still form.

Daniel pushed past Simon and pulled the struggling River from his son. He handed her off to the shocked doctor and bent over the unconscious form of his Jayne, checking for a pulse. "He ain't breathing right Doc."

Handing River to the nearest able body Simon raced over, gently pushing Daniel out of the way so that he could check Jayne's vitals. "He's going into Cardiac Arrest, get my bag, now."

* * *

Marie immerged from the kitchen as Mal ran through the living room, her gaze flying about the room as organized panic ensued. Lifting her fingers to her lips she watched them scurry about, confused about the goings on. Her gaze flickered to the stairs to see Zoe half carry, half drag the screaming River down. Her motherly instinct kicked in and though Marie didn't have a clue what was happening, she reached out wordlessly for the crying girl and led her away from the disorder. 

Guiding the distraught River over to a chair Marie pulled another one for herself close to the girl, wrapping her arm around River's trembling shoulders, "What's wrong hon?"

River looked up into the woman's face. Tears streaking down her face as she answered, "Jayne's drowning!"

Marie let a panicked laugh slip from her lips in a poor effort to mask the fear that River's words had created, "He ain't drowning hon. Jayne knows how to swim real well. He's been through a lot today so maybe he just got turned around a little. All he's gotta do is figure out is which ways up." Marie soothed quietly. She gently rocked the distraught girl, her gaze unconsciously falling to the door way in time to watch the boys carry Jayne out on the stretcher. But she couldn't let the tears fall yet, they would be of no help to the smaller woman in her arms.

"I've lost it." River murmured shaking her head, "Can't find it again, it's all lost. Floated down stream and locked away in a strong box, carried away from the girl's touch. Can't get it back again, it's lost."

Marie shushed her, "Now I know that ain't true hon. I don't think I meet anyone is as clever as you. You and my boy can find whatever's been lost." Closing her eyes Marie pulled the girl closer, "You just give it time and everything will be alright, everything will be just fine."

* * *

It was dark and not nearly as peaceful as he'd always thought death would be. But then again, maybe he was going to hell. He hadn't exactly led a saintly life. But then he'd always assumed there'd be flames lickin at his body and all those clichés. 

"Ain't dead fool."

Jayne turned and spotted his pa walking up to him from the darkness. "Pa? What in the hell are you doin' here?"

"I'm you're consciousness fool boy. Here to wake you up." The image of Daniel explained. "I told ya never to get flashed boy, cuz these here are the consequences. Hangover from the drugs, that weren't so bad but no fun ride either. Then the memory wiped and replaced, and the proper ones returned. Now that was damn painful. And now to come full circle it damn near killed you. But we ain't dead yet, you can thank your brother-in-law for that one." The image of Daniel frowned, crossing his arms across his chest he glared down at Jayne. "Now why the hell you still here and not out there straightening out the mess you got yourself into?"

"I don't wanna go back, ain't fun no more." Jayne almost pouted, but instead turned it into a scowl. "All these lies I told myself, all these make believe memories, they're better then real life, pa, better then anything I ever had, and now their just hanging around my head, reminded me that the life I got ain't so pretty as I used to think. Reminding me that everything I felt for the feng le girl was a lie pa."

Daniel snorted, glaring down at his son, "Then you're saying for the past week your body and heart have been lying to you, making up everything you felt for the girl? Don't think so boy, they don't lie to ya, they don't make up stuff that ain't already there. Those three years of so called lies just let you realize what you wasn't letting be made clear."

Jayne shook his head angrily, "I do not love the feng le girl. I like the image of her as my wife is all."

"You're just giving yourself more lies boy. If you don't love that girl, either the one you married or the feng le one that slashed your chest open, then I'm a monkey's ass."

"It don't mater anyway," Jayne growled shaking his head, "Even if I did love her it's all messed up, they ain't ever gonna let me keep her."

"Keep who, River?" Daniel demanded, "Don't think it's their right to say anything bout that boy. We'll maybe her brother does, but last I checked he won't be the one sleeping with you."

Jayne moaned burying his face in his hands, "Mal's gonna kill me."

"This ain't about Mal or bout what the crew thinks. This is about you and River and it's bout time you stop thinkin' like some gorram little boy and grow up. Ain't nobody got the right to dictate who you love, you was taught better then that."

"It ain't that simple pa."

"Damn right it is. Life ain't as complicated as you're makin it out to be boy. You tell them how it's gonna be and don't take no for an answer. Ain't that how you got through your life before Mal came along and spoiled ya?" Daniel demanded as he leaned down and glared into Jayne's eyes.

"It ain't that simple pa." Jayne reiterated with an angry glare of his own up at his pa.

The image of Daniel shook his head, "Stop makin excuses. It's about time you started making something of this gorram life and you can't do that staying here and whining." Reaching down he grabbed a hold of Jayne's shirt roughly pulling him to his feet. "Now wake the hell up."

* * *

Simon stepped out of the infirmary and paused for a second, his gaze falling to the group of people that waited patently on the couch. River was wrapped securely in Marie Cobb's arms on the couch as Daniel stood at their side, watching them intently. Over on the stairs Mal, Kaylee, and Wash sat quietly while Zoe and Book still lingered behind Simon, watching over Jayne in the Infirmary. 

Steeling his shoulders Simon walked quietly over to older couple, feeling the eyes of the rest of the crew following his progress. "Mr. and Mrs. Cobb" He declared quietly, pulling their attention away from the still very distraught River.

"How's my boy?" Daniel demanded, his gaze shifting around the young doctor to glance towards the infirmary.

"He's sleeping peacefully now." Walking around the small coffee table Simon took a seat on the edge of it, "I did a quick glance over the records and it turns out that this is not an uncommon event for someone his age. The chemicals involved in flashing have been known to trigger something called Syrchenz's Cardiomyopathy. It acts like a temporary drug overdose, slowing the heart down until it can't sustain the body. Syrchenz's works faster though, inducing cardiac arrest in the patient, momentarily stopping his heart."

Simon could see the worry building behind their eyes and sought to quickly quell it. "However, his heart is extraordinarily healthy and strong. He should pull through this event with flying colors. However, as soon as he wakes up I will take the necessary precautions and do some testing to insure that my theory is correct, but beyond that he appears to be in fine condition. As I said he's sleeping now, but if you like you can go in and see him for yourself."

* * *

Jayne woke slowly, disoriented and confused by the bright white light that blinded him. He could vaguely make out voices in the distance, hauntingly familiar as he fought to regain his bearings. His body screamed at him as his mind tumbled thoughts around. He tired to sort thought the frenzy of facts, which ones belonged and which ones didn't, but only confused himself. 

And then suddenly he understood what was wrong; River wasn't curled tightly to his side.

Jayne fought through the fog of his mind, pushing against his aching body he tried to sit up. Instead he crashed to the floor, knocking the breath from his lungs as he hit the tile hard. His vision blurred for a moment and the mercenary rolled over to his back pushing himself into a sitting position as he tried to regain control of his breathing.

Something reached out to him and Jayne pushed away. He reached for his gun, any gun, something to solidify his surroundings, something he could control. But his hand grabbed onto nothing and stirred more panic in his already unstable mind. Fighting against the hands that sought to lift him up, he pushed himself away until his back hit a cabinet door.

Nothing was right, everything was wrong.

* * *

"What the hell?" Mal demanded as he followed the doc into the med lab, Jayne's parents close behind. The mercenary had backed himself into a corner where Book and Zoe where trying to talk him back to surgery bed, but Jayne didn't seem to be listening to anything or anybody. 

Simon hurried over to the cabinets and pulled down a weaker sedative. He expertly and quickly prepared a light dose for his patient and turned; tapping the syringe he quickly started over to the group.

River suddenly pushed past the group in the doorway. Glaring at the group surrounding her husband she gently pulled Simon and his drugs away, and promptly shooed Zoe and Book away. Kneeling before the man she reached out her hand to tentatively touch his shoulder, drawing his attention to her. "Be good Jayne!" He froze almost in fear for a second and then suddenly relaxed. The smaller girl smiled and quietly climbed onto his lap, cuddling to his chest. "Be good Jayne." She repeated, her hand soothing down his hair, her face snuggling into his neck. "Be good Jayne."

* * *

"It's kind of… freaky." Mal looked up at the sound of Wash's voice to see his pilot and second mate enter the dinning room. "I mean, sure there was that one time we all speculated, but who would've ever thought the mercenary and the crazy genius would..." He trailed off shaking his head as he sat down at the table. 

Zoe followed suit slipping into the seat beside him. "I ain't ever seen that side of Jayne before, and I don't think I ever want to again!" Zoe added with a frown, her gaze switching between her husband and her captain.

Kaylee entered the dinning room, a frown stretched across her cheeks. "You know back in town this afternoon, it was like they was broken by it all, torn to pieces. Never heard River cry like that, never, not in all the times she's woken up screaming from nightmares." She commented before moving into a seat across from Mal, shaking her head.

"You only cry like that when something's died Kaylee." Mal whispered, keeping his gaze fixed on the table he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "When you lost something that you ain't ever getting back."

"Then what happened to Jayne in the infirmary… it was like she was the only thing that could reach him, something happened while we were lookin' for them. Captain something big happened." Kaylee added, "Almost like…" She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

Book clasped his hands together walking silently into the room, Inara following after him. "The human mind has endless capacities and the ability to do astounding things in short periods of time. They may have only had four or five days, but they probably made three years of memories. And as Mr. Cobb said, those three years revolved around each other. It is possible that they created an emotional bond to each other." Book declared quietly as he took a seat at the table.

"You think that's what happened Shepherd?" Zoe asked leaning back in her chair she exchanged as quick glance with Mal. Her mind skipped quickly over the endless possibilities of what that could imply.

"I do. Based on their breakdown in town and his reaction to her in the infirmary, I'd say that was the only possibility. But, I don't think the bond is the problem." Mal's head shoot up, flying over to the Shepherd's form as the rest of the crew followed his example. "The problem will be how they handle their situation. You might say their going to be faced with double vision. The problem is how we handle supporting the pain they must be feeling. I believe the only way they will come out of this emotional unscarred will be if they remain together."

"All that they have left is each other and we'll have to be very supportive of that." Inara's eyes sought Mal's at once, and then flew to each of the crew's. "I think it's very essential that we don't appear to dispute the relationship, no matter our own personal opinions." Inara added, "What's done is done, there's nothing that we can do to change it and we should all work privately to accept it."

Book nodded his head slowly. "Perhaps, given time, our support and support from each other, they will be able to heal."

"What about Simon?" Kaylee questioned. "It ain't gonna be so easy for him to accept that his sister appears to be attached to a man he don't regard as decent." The table fell into a deep pensive silence.

"He ain't gonna have a choice in the matter Kaylee." Mal finally answered, "I don't think River's gonna let him. Crazy or not the girl knows what she wants and gets what she wants. Think she proved that pretty well when Jubal Early came aboard. All that's left is for Simon to accept it."

"Ain't nothing gonna be the same again, is it Captain?" Kaylee asked, her eyes pleading with him to give some comfort, to assure her that the broken forms of River and Jayne would eventually mend.

"I don't know Kaylee." Mal answered his gaze shifting over to his mechanic. "I honestly don't know."

* * *

Simon looked up from his scans as he entered the infirmary. Jayne still lay on the surgery chair sleeping relatively peaceful while River stood over him. She watched his breathing carefully, one hand hovering over his chest, her lips moving rapidly. 

"River?" Simon asked cautiously as he approached her. "River what are you…"

"Shush! Counting. Breathing not at optimal efficiency but at acceptable rate when previous stress and trauma are factored into the alacrity required to fabricate restoration of correct rate." Her other hand dropped down to the sleeping man's wrist, finding the pulse pointed she resumed her quiet counting.

Simon frowned stepping around her he walked over to the counter and set down his scans. Glancing over at the wall monitors he checked Jayne's vitals before turning back around to watch his sister.

River released Jayne's wrist, her head coming up to meet Simon's gaze. Assured of her husband's stabilized heartbeat she moved over to the side counter, climbing up onto the counter that could serve as makeshift second bed. Cross her legs beneath her she closed her eyes and resumed her efforts to reestablish the connection between man and wife.

"River…" Simon began, still struggling on how to broach the question that plagued his mind. Though he had little doubt that she probably already knew what he was thinking about, he couldn't find the words that seemed to fit the situation.

"Lost it!" She interrupted her eyes moving rapidly beneath her eyes lids as though searching for something in the dark. "Connection was severed by the moment of drowning. He's locked the girl out. He can do that now because he knows the keys of her mind."

"Connection?" Simon inquired quietly, walking over he came to halt in front of the smaller girl and frowned, "What kind of connection? What was connected?"

Simon was afraid of the answer she would give him. This much she had anticipated. His thoughts would have to be guided to acceptance, "Souls, Minds, Hearts…" her eyes flashed open to meet his, "Bodies."

Simon turned green and took a step back from her as though she had just slapped him. "River did he…" he couldn't finish the question, didn't want to imagine how the strong man had taken advantage of his sister.

"Lies." River's voice shocked Simon out of his thoughts and he turned back to look at his little sister. "Think what you like Simon, only will be telling yourself lies. Husband did not take advantage of wife. Wife took advantage of husband."

She climbed down from the cabinet and circled her brother. "His mind was unwilling, but the girl snuck in, coxed and sang, brought the boy out. Simon forgets that River's just a girl. Wants to be like the others who got to play and test the waters. Wants to feel what the others feel, just like Simon feels for Kaylee." She grinned at his startled jump.

"River knows what he feels for the mechanic, knows how he denies like Mal. Knows that he desires to be as Wash, free to touch, to feel, to grasp in his hands the meaning of joy and to connect. Knows that he is trying to be as Book; satisfied with distance. But Simon is not ethereal, not near as strong as Book. He will need to connect soon or all will be lost. Kaylee will not always wait; she is girl, like River want to be."

"Are you saying that you essentially told him to…" Simon trailed off when he realized that the only words that came to his mind were 'violate you'.

"Think what you like Simon, only will be telling yourself lies." River repeated and turned away form her shocked brother. She walked over to stand by her husband, a hand hovering over his face. "You found her broken Simon." Simon looked up at to her words, watching her quietly. "You sacrificed so much for the girl, but you found her broken. So you must mend her, be paid for all your sacrifices." She met his gaze full on.

"River no. That's not true. I only want to help you."

River's expression softened at the heartbroken look that crossed her brother's face. Momentarily forgetting about Jayne she walked over to Simon and took his hand in hers. "Simon can be of assistance to the girl, he can give the girl a probability. Drugs will not fix her, they will provide a way to distinguish the voices, will help her control the emotions but at he cost of her conciseness. But, Simon has the cure in his lab, only he is blind to it." She led Simon over to Jayne and placed his hand over the slightly rising chest of her sleeping husband. "The cure is here."

"How?"

"Drug is Jayne. Jayne is Drug. No poison ivy, no bits coming back up. Stabilized and calculated dosages, mathematics are simple, physics combined with psychological effects, biology where one plus one equals one."

"You're not making any sense River. I can't understand."

River titled her head and moved her glances between Jayne and Simon. "A strong positive emotion of regard and affection, any object of warm affection or devotion. Beloved, dear, dearest, a beloved person; used as terms of endearment, a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction between two people, a score of zero in tennis."

"Love?" Simon had to stop himself from shouting the word. "That's an emotion, not a cure. How can it replace what you've lost?"

"Not replace, silly Simon. No way to make perfect what has been broken, can only mend it." She smiled up at him for a second, and then gently guided him to the infirmary door. "The girl can see this is hard for Simon, can see this is not something to be taken lightly. Simon should rest; think over what she has shown him. Will not be easy to accept, but she will give you time." Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him quietly on the cheek and all but shoved him out the door.

Simon moved off unwillingly. Her words had made sense, almost perfect sense. He understood her meaning but wasn't sure that he was ready to accept it. It was too much to take in at once. He moved off towards his small alcove, deciding that he needed to rest before he dared try and think about what she'd told him.

* * *

Jayne fought off the waves of sleep that sought to keep him in the dark. His bearings were still skewed. Confused, unsure of where he was, he tried to force the fog from his sight and rolled over, crashing once again to the hard floor. "Gorram it, gotta stop doin that!" He groaned recalling another instance of meeting the hard tiled floor. At least the impact had cleared the fog from his head. 

"Salutations."

Jayne jumped at the sound of her voice, his reaction slowed by the stress that his body had endured. Slowly pushing himself to his feet he turned to look at the small girl. She sat cross legged on the second bed, her gaze watching him intently.

She frowned for a second when his eyes meet hers. His mental locks were still in place, not budging no matter how hard she pushed. It confused her. Why had he accepted her touch after his first waking, yet still locked her out. The math didn't add up, the calculations were off, and she couldn't find the solution.

Jayne eyed River like she was holding a butcher's knife and ready to take his head off. He started to back away slowly, only stopping when his backside hit the bed and forced him too. "What do you want?" He demanded gruffly.

River climbed down the counter, cautiously reaching out towards him with her hand. "Jayne's lost, the girl wants to show him the way back." He moved away from her hand, but he didn't bolt like she expected. "Be good Jayne." She ordered, reaching out towards him again.

"It's gone, ain't ever coming back, it died when the real stuff came back along." Jayne declared as he backed himself into a corner, almost shaking from fear of her touch. "Gorram it girl, don't you understand? Ain't no way in hell we can get that back, it's gone."

River continued advancing on him slowly, peering at him through the curtain of her hair. "Not gone, lost is all. That which was misplaced can be found again. Sure footing will bring the path into view; steady pacing will ensure the reconnection." She reached out to him, her fingers hovering over his chest. "Release is the key, open the doors and all will return to normal."

"Can't." He whispered unsteadily. "Too much has happened." He was afraid of what he felt for her, afraid of the consequences, afraid to touch her in the ways that a man ought to.

River paused; confused she retracted her hand and listened to the frightened thoughts that slipped past his locks. "Your greed, your desire are kept locked in the closet. You're afraid to release them for fear of Daddy, fear of the looks that may come your way."

"Hell no!" He declared suddenly angry over her actions. "I ain't afraid of anything." But his words and actions contradicted and his eyes widened in fear as she took another step closer.

River reached out with her hands, letting them graze the skin on his arm, watching as he jumped at her touch. "Scared of touching the girl like you did before. Scared of holding her and loving her…" She moved an inch closer and he looked ready to bolt for the door, ready to climb up onto the counter just to avoid touching her. "Jayne's scared!"

Jayne's eyes flashed with anger and his hands suddenly jumped from his sides, circling her neck as though to strangle. And though he stole her breath away it was not in the expected form. Before she could understand he was leaning down to her, lips capturing hers. His hands slip over her shoulder to greedily explore her body, pulling her to him so forcibly that it caused them both to grunt in momentary pain. A hand came up and dove into her hair, fisting into the long brown waves. He angled her head, deepening the kiss, tasting the inside of her mouth. Their bodies pulsed together and she clung to his shirt in a desperate attempt to keep herself steady.

It seemed like he needed to breathe her in. Almost like it would be the last time he ever kissed another woman.

Jayne ended the kiss as he had started it. Suddenly and almost furiously he pushed her away. His eyes met hers for a second before he turned and angrily marched out of the infirmary. Ignoring half the crew's startled looks he stormed through the cargo bay and down the ramp.

He didn't slow down until his feet hit solid earth. He didn't let his breathing resume its proper pacing until he couldn't see Serenity anymore. He didn't stop at all until the house and the ship were distant objects on the horizon. Only then did he let himself think for a second.

His heart pounded but he wasn't sure if it was the stress of recent events or something else. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, taxing his heart after everything it had gone through, but he couldn't help it. He was running away from her, he was refusing to face what he could feel, what he had felt. He was running away like a gorram coward and he knew it. Hell, it felt like the only thing he could admit to himself safely.

Jayne turned around to glare at the distance ship. "Gorram it." He kicked at a nearby rock, sending the small thing flying off into the distance. Turning back around Jayne started off again. Not towards the ship, not towards resolve. Despite the throbbing pain in his chest he just kept on running.

* * *

River sank slowly to the floor bringing her knees up to her chest. Slowly burying her face in her arms she let the tears finally start falling, his goodbye still lingering on her lips...

* * *

Notes… 

Feel free to correct me if I blotched the medical stuff too much, not a expert but I did do some internet research on the subject for this story on Web MD, but since the extent of my science was biology I can't be sure if I used it right. And in case you haven't guessed Syrchenz's Cardiomyopathy is made up.

Yes, I know, Jayne shouldn't have been up and about after all that stress to his heart, but there is a method to my madness…


	7. Chapter Six: The Wrong Circumstances

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Six: The Wrong Circumstances

* * *

Mal frowned; there was something distinctively different about Jayne. Something he couldn't quite figure out yet as he watched the man trudge across the yard towards the barn in the early morning light. And then there was River, who sat forlornly on Serenity's ramp watching the mercenary disappear into the barn. 

Mal's frown deepened. Wasn't it just yesterday that he'd watched his hired weapon hold the small girl as if he'd never let go. And wasn't it just yesterday that his mercenary had gone into cardiac arrest? The man probably shouldn't have been walking about like nothin' had happened. No, he defiantly shouldn't have been. Or at least that had been the impression Simon had given Mal after learning about Jayne storming off into the horizon last night.

None of it made any sense anymore. Not that his life ever really had…

Mal shook his head as he walked slowly down the ramp to take a seat next to River. "Your brother's gonna throw a conniption if you don't get that…" What exactly was Jayne to her? Crewmate, ape man, husband, or that man-she'd-shared-three-years-of-fake-memories-with?

"Legally bound through matrimony; husband." She answered him without a pause.

"Sure." Mal nodded his head, still mighty uncomfortable with her whole slightly freaky reading abilities. "Well, your brother is gonna throw a fit if you don't get that husband of yours off his feet. Not right that he should be up much less doin' farm labor after dying for a second."

"Can't; the boy is afraid of the girl again, won't let her near, won't let her in. Just keeps running away. Can't fix the connection cuz he's locked her out." River turned to look at the captain for a second, then let her gaze fall towards the barn again.

"Right," Mal nodded his head, although not exactly sure what she meant he got the gist of it. Jayne wasn't talking to her anymore, probably having something to do with age old butcher's knife incident. "He's a stubborn man. How exactly did you get him to agree to this marriage, I mean in the memories that you…" What word would suit the situation best? "that you created?"

"He purposed matrimony."

"Huh, really, never would've figured." Mal muttered shaking his head. "Well don't know how you'd connect to somebody, but I don't suppose you could just knock him over the head and fix it that way?" River rolled her eyes at him, "Right, that'd probably give him another heart attack. Well, what about just talking sense to him, you're a smart girl, you can probably find the right words and all."

"Can't see what you don't wanna see, can't understand what you don't want to understand." She explained, she kicked her feet out from underneath her and shook her head. "Can't talk to the running river, it moves to quickly."

"What do you see in that man anyway? That is sides' the fact that he's a self centered tyrannical maniac and your brother thinks he's like a trained ape man without the training."

"Girl was broken, boy was only cracked. When combined they made whole, brother can't understand that yet." Mal started to open his mouth to make a comment but she beat him to it, "How can cracked and broken mend each other? Is simple mathematics, fit the broken one into the cracks and you have a semblance of a whole. But now both are broken."

"You ever thought about just givin' straight answers?" Mal questioned. "It would be a might bit helpful." He added turning his head to stare at the smaller girl. "Brother giving you any trouble?"

"Simon's not the problem. Boy's the problem, locked the girl out."

"May not be a problem much longer, probably gonna give himself another heart attack, or whatever your brother called it."

"Syrchenz's Cardiomyopathy."

"That's the one." Mal nodded, he sat silently for a second before deciding that he would get nowhere with the girl and pushed himself to his feet. "Well suppose I could take a gander over and talk to your, uh, husband. Least get him to come back and satisfy your brother before the boy paces a new hole in my boat." That said he started down the ramp towards the barn.

* * *

"You're an idiot boy!" Daniel huffed as he tossed a bundle of hay down from the loft. "Ain't supposed to be on your feet, I ain't no doctor and I know that." Daniel looked over at Jayne, watching the boy working at his side. "Jayne, you listening to me at all?" 

"Nope." The mercenary answered tossing down another bundle of hay.

"Figured." Daniel muttered and then started to climb down the ladder back to the ground floor. "Where'd you go last night? Near about gave your mother a heart attack of her own when you didn't come home last night?"

"Nowhere."

"What did ya do?"

"Nothin'."

"Where'd you sleep?"

"Ground."

"Boy!" Daniel declared with a huff as his son climbed down, "I've spent a lifetime sacrificing for you. The least you could do is give more than two words for my questions. I ain't gonna beat your ass cuz I figured with you stressing out that heart of yours like you're doin, it'd be liable to kill ya." Daniel walked over to glare at his son.

Jayne nodded but didn't answer; instead he lifted up a bundle and carried it over to the stalls. Daniel groaned, fighting back the urge to cuff his son on the head. Longing for the good old days when he could have whipped his son's ass, the days when all he had to worry about was Jayne coming home on time for dinner. Suddenly feeling old and tired Daniel turned and walked out of the barn, deciding that if his son wanted to kill himself doing the chores, well, that was his choice.

Jayne looked up when he heard the barn door shut and promptly dropped to the nearest available seat, in this case an older barrel, clutching at the center of his chest. He closed his eyes and focused in on the pain, it was easier then thinking about River.

"Whoa there, you ain't gonna have another one of those heart attack thingies?" Jayne opened his eyes to see Mal standing over him. He immediately pushed off the pain and stood walking back over to the stalls to finish feeding the horses. "Wanna tell me why you're avoiding your wife?"

"Ain't my wife." Jayne grunted tossing another bundle of hay into the stalls.

"Funny, just the other day you near about shot my head off when I said the same thing."

"Near about? I would've if there hadn't been a crowd mulling around. Bullet could've gone through you and hit somebody I knew." Jayne answered truthfully. Moving across the barn he started on another chore.

"Now, why you avoiding your wife?" Jayne didn't answer the captain, just continued working. "I asked you a question, and I'm expecting an answer."

"Ain't none of your ruttin' business."

"If you're bringin' it on my boat then it's my business." Mal answered back angrily. "And what they hell you think you're doin'? Trying to kill yourself? Doc ain't stopped bitching about your behavior last night, you had half your family bout to ride out looking for you and I don't think anyone of them got a wink of sleep last night waiting for you to come home."

"Leave it be Mal, they're my problems and I gotta work them out for myself." The mercenary spoke softly, turning to face his captain for a moment.

Mal's frown deepened for a moment, this job of being all knowing Captain, the one who was supposed to have all the answers, was weighing down on his shoulders. "Don't much look like you're facing them, just like you're turning tail and running."

"Gorram it Mal, I ain't used to this touchy feely crap." Jayne bit back angrily. "You can't just expect me to turn around and accept it when I ain't never before felt this sorta thing. I don't understand half of what it means, nor why in ruttin hell it happened with a gorram moonbrained child that I sold out to the Alliance couple months back. It don't help that I got three years worth of memories that say I had plenty of time to get accustomed to her and whatever the hell I'm feeling. And it don't help that I got this sorta primal fear that's holding so tightly to my gorram heart that I'm ruttin amazed I can still breathe."

"That might be the cardiac thingy."

Jayne ignored the comment and continued, "I've been told one thing, believed another and remembered something entirely different. It don't make no sense why I should be feeling like this. Much less why I should be feeling this for a gorram crazy girl. Nor why I'm even still entertain thoughts that I might still have these ruttin feelings for that little girl. Worst of all, suddenly I'm thinking that maybe they were there before and I just didn't give a damn and wondering if that thought's even possible. Wondering how could I even think about her like I've been doing for the past week, how could I …" He stopped talking suddenly, angrily kicking at the nearest pail. "I'm sick of these gorram confusing feelings and thoughts and I wish to god that we never landed on this gou cao de rock."

Mal waited a second, watching Jayne curse and swear enough to make a sailor bush. "I ain't gonna pretend that I understand what you're going through. And I ain't gonna go giving you some uplifting speech that'll solve all your troubles." Jayne frowned as he turned around to glare at his captain. "But I ain't gonna let you drag this mess on my ship and into our lives. Now, the way I figure it, we're blasting off this rock tomorrow morning. So, all I say is you'd best straighten out your thoughts and fix the mess you got between you, yourself and the missus. Fix yourself up and go talk to the little wife. That's the only way I see you straighten out what needs to be straightened." His peace spoken Mal turned and quietly left the barn, leaving Jayne alone in the shadows beside the stall.

"Don't intend to drag it on the ship, Mal."

* * *

River looked up at the sound of hoof beats and watched silently as Jayne led a saddled horse from the stable. Fear jumped into her heart as her stomach sank, her chest heaving as she tired to focus on her breathing. She watched him swing into the saddle despite the burning sensation of tears behind her eyes. 

Jayne's head turned in her direction and he paused for a second, his eyes boring into hers. A look flashed across his face; one of pain, one of anger, one of confusion. He opened his mouth as though to say something. But she caught the sound of Simon's footsteps behind her and watched as Jayne's eyes flashed to her brother's face then back to hers. There was a hint of desperation, a hint of fear, a hint of emotion behind Jayne's mask. He closed his mouth before anything came out and kicked the horse into a hard gallop, riding off into the distance.

Simon stepped down beside River and watched the rider disappear with his own sigh of frustration. "He's going to kill himself! How am I supposed to help him if he keeps disappearing into the horizon?" He turned to his sister and knelt down beside her, worry suddenly overcoming his features as he watched the tears slip down her cheek. "River, are you…" He started to ask, reaching out to her.

"It's all wrong." She yelled pulling away from his touch. "The rock is floating down the river, the girl is lost." Jumping to her feet she darted into Serenity, ducking past Inara and Kaylee as they started down the ramp.

"What's going on? What's wrong with River? Something happen?" Kaylee questioned the young doctor as she came to halt beside him.

"I…" Simon tugged on his ear nervously, looked in the direction that Jayne had ridden off. "I don't know."

"Trouble in lover's paradise is all." Mal declared as he stepped down off the house porch where he'd been silently watching the entire scene play out. "Don't worry too much, Doc!" he added walking over to Serenity's ramp. "Had a talk with both of them, it'll be fixed by tomorrow." He said it confidently enough, but Inara caught a glimpse of doubt in his eyes.

"How?" Simon demanded. "How can anything be fixed when she's gone to go hide in her room and he's ridden off to god knows where in an attempt to kill himself?"

"Relax Doc." Mal declared walking up the ramp he paused to look the young doctor in the eyes. "Either Jayne will kill himself taxing his heart out in the boondocks or River will talk some sense into him. Either way it'll be fixed by tomorrow or one of them ain't getting on my boat." Mal didn't mean it seriously, but he had an unsettling feeling that he was gonna be right on one of those accounts. "Either way, I suggest you make the best of real food, Mrs. Cobb cooked up a feast for ya'll inside. And as we're getting off this rock tomorrow morning this may be your last chance." Turning away from the three Mal started into Serenity to find the rest of his crew.

* * *

"Did I or did I not say that I wanted to be leaving today?" Mal questioned as he entered the cockpit. 

Zoe looked up from her position perched on the edge of a console as Wash spun in his chair. "Can't sir." She answered bluntly.

"We're missing our resident genius and our big stick expert." Wash explained.

"Zao gao! Right, I'm gonna go round up the stray cattle; you get this boat prepped and ready to go. Bout time we got moving." Heading down the stairs he moved easily through the ship and down into the cargo bay. But as he reached the bottom stair he paused for a second, taking note of Jayne's pa as the man quietly walked up the ramp.

"Heard you was going, River's following after, just saying bye to all the young ones." He paused, looking down at his feet for a moment, "Captain, my boy wants to speak to ya bout something important, he's over by the corral." Mal nodded stepping aside to let the older man climb up the cargo bay stairs.

Walking down the ramp Mal quickly rounded the house, pausing as he came into view of the corral. Jayne stood there, watching the horses move easily around their pen. "Bout time we got of this rock, don't ya think?" Mal asked coming to a halt beside the man. He took a moment to examine his hired gun and once again saw the changes that had affected Jayne. The mercenary almost looked older, tired as he gazed out across the corral.

Jayne grunted, restlessly kicking at the dirt beneath his feet, he stared out at the horizon for a second, eyes clouded with thoughts before he spoke. "I can't get back on that boat, Mal."

Mal had always expected a very different version of those words. He'd always imagined that when Jayne left it would involve a burst of gunfire and some form of death. Never expected events to take this turn, to be losing the mercenary because of an emotional attachment gone wrong. "That's your choice to make."

"There are too many dead memories floating around that boat. Things my head tells me ain't never happened, but everything else screams did." Kicking at a piece of grass the mercenary groaned. "I been through lots Mal, seen lost of things I didn't wanna see, done lots of things my ma wouldn't be proud of. But I never thought I could be as happy as in the past week. And I can't Mal, it's like Karma, fate, whatever you wanna call it, gave me this second chance then swooped down and stole it from under my feet. Don't make no sense Mal."

"Life don't usually."

"I can't seem to find balance 'tween both lives. I look at her and I see two Rivers. There's the one I married; the loopy girl, my wife. And the one that slashed my chest open, the one that I sold to the Alliance. Gorram it, Mal, I wanna grab her, pin her down and kiss her like I did before. But it ain't the same girl. Aw hell, I wouldn't know how she'd react, could slash my chest again or could kiss me back."

Mal furrowed his eyebrows, "Would've thought that would've still been the case before we showed up and crashed the party."

"Na, we had some kind of ruttin connection. Lost it, don't think I could get it back either seeing as I don't know how I got it in the first place" Jayne went pensive again, his gaze staring off into the distance. "How do you do it Mal, stand next to 'Nara everyday knowing you can't have her?" Jayne finally asked, shifting his gaze to his captain for a moment. Mal couldn't honestly answer the man as he didn't know himself how he did.

"I can't look at River everyday, watch as that gorram brother of hers pumps her full of new drugs and not remember them three years that never existed. I can't not wanna touch her like I did before, but I'm…" Afraid was the word he wanted to use.

Jayne turned away from the corral. Leaning back against the bars, he watched the house quietly. "But I can't touch her Mal. And I can't just forget about everything and go back to the old way either, mind won't let me. Can't find a balance, can't choose one or the other. I only got one choice."

"You'll stay here then?"

Jayne laughed gruffly, "Na, she's here too, sides nothing for me to do here."

"I get the feeling anywhere you go she's gonna be." Mal answered truthfully, the mercenary seemed to just ignore him. "How will you get off this rock? Ain't many transports leaving from this place."

Jayne shrugged, "Got off once, I'll manage again."

"Well if you ever change you mind," Mal started to say, pushing off from the corral.

"Won't." Jayne interrupted turning back around to lean over the corral he kicked at another piece of grass.

"All the same, you know how to find us." Turning away Mal started off back towards the house and Serenity.

"Hey, Mal!" Jayne called out, stopping the Captain in his footsteps, "Thanks anyway, for giving me my own bunk and all."

* * *

"We all ready, Kaylee?" Mal asked walking quietly up Serenity's ramp. 

The engineer looked up from her preparations, "Just about cap, just missing Jayne."

The captain continued past her, shaking his head at the slowly gathering crew, "No, we ain't." As he spoke Daniel descended the cargo bay stairs slowly. In each hand he carried a large duffel bag, heavy and packed full, bulky as though filled with ammunition and weapons.

"Captain?" Kaylee whispered her voice cracking as she watched Jayne's father reach the cargo bay floor.

Daniel proceeded past the group walking quietly over to where River stood beside Simon. He set the two heavy bags on the floor and let his gaze meet River's as he reached out lifting her into a tight hug. "You say goodbye to all the young ones and Marie?" He asked setting her back down on the floor. River nodded quietly, her hands lingering on his arms as her eyes pleaded with him. It almost broke Daniel's heart, but it wasn't his choice and he didn't think anything could get through to his stubborn boy.

"Don't you forget you can come back anytime, always a home for you here." His smile was sad as he bent forward and kissed her forehead just as his son had done a thousand times over the past week. "Take good care of yourself, you hear? Don't get into too much trouble, as I ain't likely gonna be able to come to your rescue and all."

River nodded; avoiding his gaze she dropped her eyes to the floor. "Can't fly with clipped wings." She whispered, almost more to herself then to Daniel.

"Ain't clipped honey, only wounded a little!" Reaching forward he pulled her into another tight hug, "They'll heal with time." Releasing her he bent down, grabbed a hold of the bags and headed back down the ramp, turning round to smile at the group one last time. "Take care now." He called, before heading back across the yard towards the house.

Mal walked over to the ramp, slamming his fist down on the red button that closed the doors a might bit harder then usual.

"He ain't even gonna say goodbye?" Kaylee asked quietly in a wounded manner as she stared out the closing doors.

The captain turned away from her, "He's a changed man Kaylee, ain't the same anymore. Don't think even the old Jayne would have said goodbye anyway. Wash; get this damn boat in the air."

Kaylee turned away from the doors, walking dejectedly after her captain and the pilot. Simon turned to look at Book for a second before stepping forward to take his sister's arm, "River, why don't we go make some lunch?"

She abruptly pulled her arm from his as though wounded by his words, "The darkness is coming, the girl is drowning," she whispered, "getting too crowded in here." Turning she fled from her brother.

"River!" Simon called out worriedly, starting after his sister.

"Leave her be for now, son." Book declared as he reached out and pulled Simon to a gentle halt. "She's hurting and needs time to figure out what happened."

* * *

Jayne looked up at the sound of Serenity's engines, watching silently as the firefly ship lifted off and disappeared into the clouds with a trail of green light. 

"Stupid gorram fool." He cursed under his breath. "You just kissed your only chance at being happy goodbye cuz you're a ruttin coward." Turning away from Serenity's trail he started off towards the barn, still trying to get away from the haunting image of River in his mind.

* * *

Notes... 

Sorry this one's rather short, it was kind of difficult to write and I know it's still sad but things have to get worse before they can get better. No need to apologize Twitchy Louie ; ) … and thanks to everybody else who reviewed.

Chinese Translations

"Zao gao!" Means "Damn it!"

"Gou cao de" means "dog fucking


	8. Chapter Seven: The Right Circumstances

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Note: Damn this chapter was hard… if anything feels out of character let me know. For some reason this chapter was a bitch to get feeling right. Next one shouldn't take so long, hopefully.

Chapter Seven: The Right Circumstances

* * *

Jonah prided himself on his accomplishments; possibly because there were few such occasions in his life when he could afford to, and even fewer reasons to rejoice. But now as he sat before the consul, a pair of dark eyes staring back up at him, he felt as though he'd just been given the world. He smiled at the picture of the girl, but it wasn't so much her face that brought him immense joy, rather it was the large sum offered for her return. 

"Jayne Cobb, it looks like you'll be of use to me after all."

* * *

Serenity was uncommonly silent and it unnerved Mal. Even the engines seemed to be running quieter then usual as he made his way into Wash's domain. The pilot was sitting quietly, staring off into space with a distracted look. "Feel like we forgot something to you captain?" He questioned as Mal came into his view. 

"The whole ship acts like he's dead, not sittin' at home with his ma and good food." Mal pointed out, though it sounded to him like his own words betrayed another meaning. That maybe that was how Serenity's captain felt, like Jayne had died back on that rock and it hurt him more then he would've expected. "He choose to stay behind, couldn't have changed his mind."

"Still, can't shake the feeling that we left somethin' behind." Wash insisted.

"I can't find River." Simon's panicked voice broke through the silent mood of the bridge.

"Wo de ma, Wash the shuttles?" Mal demanded as his pilot jumped into action quickly checking over the gauges.

"Both still locked in Captain." Wash assured spinning his chair around to stare up at the captain and the still slightly panicked doctor. "Relax, she's smart enough to know you can't space walk to a planet. You just aren't lookin' hard enough."

"I've been over every inch of this ship and I can't find her!"

"Did you try Jayne's bunk?" Zoe asked coming up behind him.

Simon frowned, "Why would she…" He began but then paused as recognition flashed across his face. "Oh, right." He moved off, leaving the three behind.

Zoe switched her glances between her husband and her captain, frowning as she walked over to stand beside Wash, her hand falling to rest on his shoulder. "She's been there since take off, hasn't moved."

"Does it feel like we forgot something to you?" Wash asked his wife shaking his head in thought. "I can't shake this feeling, did you make sure we packed all the cargo and stuff, nothing was left behind, maybe we should go back?" Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Kaylee?" Mal questioned going over to stand in the doorway he watched Simon stand before the mercenary's old bunk. The doctor was staring down at the hatch, as though debating whither to go down or not.

"Engine room," Zoe answered, "she ain't speakin' much, kind of depressed."

Mal turned back around to look at the pilot and his first mate. "If I'd know leaving him behind was going to cause this much trouble I wouldn't have given him a choice."

"What would you have done, sir? Knock him over the head and drag him onto the ship?" She had a point, Mal reasoned. There was little that could be done to change Jayne's mind once it was made up.

Wash shook his head, "That probably wouldn't have been the best idea, could have given him a relapse of sycho, scrheonz…"

"The cardiac thingy." Zoe supplied.

"Right, the cardiac thingy." Wash finished with a shake of his head.

"Well, I guess I ought to go try and fix everything as usual!" Mal sighed starting down the steps.

Wash watched the captain's retreating back for second before turning back to his wife. "I just can't shake this feeling; maybe we dropped a bolt or something on take off."

* * *

"Best just go on down and talk to her." Simon looked up at the captain's comment and watched Mal head off towards the engine room. He turned his gaze back to the hatch and debated his options. He'd never felt that he was very good at comforting her. He could hold her and listen to her, but the words weren't always there. He couldn't make the world seem all right like he used to when they were little. In the end he only ever felt like he was lying to her and she knew it. Sighing with resignation Simon pushed the hatch open and climbed down the ladder. 

The bunk was dark and empty. It felt cold and lonely, the bare walls stripped of whatever they had formerly held. River lay curled in a tight ball on the bed, clutching a pillow like it was her only lifeline.

Simon frowned as he moved deeper into the bunk, walking over to quietly sit on the edge of the bed, "River?" He reached out to touch her shoulder gently.

"No one's home!" She answered sharply, pulling away from him. "The girl is gone, she's been left behind."

"River I know it hurts," Simon started to say, his hand once again reaching out to her.

"No!" She screamed, pulling away from her brother's touch. "Simon's happy, Simon's happy that the girl is lost. He didn't want to share her with Jayne; he doesn't want anybody else to love the girl. Simon's sacrificed so much for the girl that he has to be paid with the girl, nobody else can have her."

"River that's not true!" Simon declared pulling away from her, but still standing his ground. If anything he would have given the world to have Jayne back on the boat, because it would've meant that his sister would be happy. "You know that's not true River, please just come up stairs with me. We can…"

"No. This is all Simon's fault, he shouldn't have come, he should've left the girl alone. He shouldn't have ever come." Picking up the pillow she threw it across the room at her brother with an angry growl before burying her face in the bed, muffling her sobs against the mattress.

Simon backed away reluctantly to the hatch and watched her for a minute, his heart breaking before climbing back up the ladder, unwilling to leave her behind in tears, but also realizing that she didn't want 'him' to comfort her right now. She wanted Jayne and he couldn't make up for the mercenary's absence.

"How is she?" Book questioned coming over to stand beside the young doctor.

"She hates me." Simon whispered, staring back down the hatch he'd just climbed up. "She thinks that I…" he paused when the words stung in his throat. "She thinks I'm happy that we left him behind." Simon turned his eyes to the shepherd for a moment. "She knows that isn't true."

"People say hurtful things when they're angry son." Book answered, "Perhaps, maybe I should go down and speak to her, keep an eye on her."

Simon shook his head no, "I think she wants to be alone for now, I think she needs to be alone." Shaking his head Simon turned away from the older man and started down towards the engine room, deciding that he needed to find a little comfort of his own. And there was only one person on the ship that he felt could give it.

* * *

"He was like one of my brothers, captain." Kaylee whispered. The two sat before the engine, listening to the quiet hum, the warm glow comforting. "It just hurts a little that he didn't even say goodbye. Who knows if we'll ever see him again? And knowing his pretense for getting shot up and into trouble, we ain't ever gonna know if he's in need of rescuing." 

Mal frowned, wrapping his arm around the smaller girl for a second. "That's life for you, little Kaylee." He pulled her over gently kissing her forehead for a second. "Wouldn't worry too much about that last part, Jayne can take care of himself, he did it just fine before we came along." Catching the sound of footsteps Mal turned to spot Simon coming down the way. Releasing his young engineer the captain stood up, walking over to the young doctor. "How's your sister?"

"She's…" Simon tugged on his ear before shaking his head, "She's not doing so well. I think we should just let her stay down there for now, let her get her bearings straight." Mal nodded moving away from the engine room to leave the two young people alone for a moment.

Mal headed back on into the dinning room and paused when he spotted Inara making a cup of tea. She looked up from the kettle, giving the captain a decidedly angry glare. "What? It ain't like this is my fault, I didn't flash them or anything, I didn't tell him he had to stay."

"From my point of view it's entirely your fault." She answered angrily. "You had no logical reason to make our departure that soon, only your petty desire to take to the sky. Had we remained in Ellsinore I'm sure that both Jayne and River could have come to an acceptance of their feelings or at least come to the terms with the loss of the precious memories they had formed together. Instead you've condemned them to a life of miserable loss." Picking up her cup the companion turned away from the captain and quietly left the dinning room.

"This ain't my fault!" Mal growled angrily turning he headed off to chase after her and continue the argument.

* * *

The sun was setting in the distance and Serenity was slipping further away. It was all Jayne could think about, the small ship gliding through space, the crew going about their lives. River… 

He pushed his thoughts off with a growl and turned to head back into the house when the sound of an approaching wagon stopped him. He watched with mild curiosity as his sister and her husband drove up to him. Worry jumping into his heart at the panic and flustered look written across her face as she jumped down, racing over to him, "Jayne you gotta get outta here."

"Why for?" He demanded, confused and worried as she dragged him over to the porch, his ma and pa walking out at the sound of their racket.

Steven Rory, Isabella's husband, was an engineer for the mining company. A young man with only a few years experience, and seeing that his wife wasn't gonna explain the situation, and had just started shoving her brother towards the house, the young man swung down from the wagon and did it for her, "Izzy, let me explain." He turned to his brother in law, a man he'd only just really meet a week ago, and one he hadn't talked to more then twice. "I was working on clearing static on the headquarters' wave channel, tinkering around with it like the boss had asked when I accidentally tapped into somebody else's call. You know Jonah Arnold?" Jayne cursed out a long string of crude profanity, ignoring the look his mother shot him as Steven continued. "Well, somehow he's figured out your wife's name and, well, to make matters short, sold you out. Alliance ship is on its way, e.t.a. tomorrow mornin'."

Jayne's world suddenly stopped spinning, and fear, heart stopping; piss in your pants fear swallowed him whole for a second. The only thought that stuck in his head was one name, River… Maybe two weeks ago he wouldn't have given a damn about the approaching ship, maybe two weeks ago he might've secretly hoped that Simon and River would get caught and he'd be rid of the gorram moonbrained child. But he wasn't the same man, and very bone in his body screamed to protect what was his. "Let them come."

"What, have you gone feng le?" Isabella declared.

"River's gone, if they come here thinking we got her, it'll give Serenity a chance to get clear, put a couple thousand space miles 'tween her and those ruttin monsters." Jayne explained ignoring the shocked looks sent his way he turned and entered the house. Crossing the living room he dropped down beside his two duffels, zipping one of them open he careful pulled Vera from the bag. "Bout time we had some fun in this town, don't ya think Vera?"

* * *

It was dark, cold and lonely in her mind. The once bright doors didn't seem like they were so cheerful anymore, the pathways weren't so bright anymore. She crouched there, hiding from herself, hiding from the voices. She couldn't help but feel lost without him. Couldn't help but feel like some major organ had been left back on the planet, making it harder for her to breathe, much less function. 

She missed him, she wanted him, and her entire psyche could only focus on the lack of his presence. She reached out to his mind again for the thousandth try, hoping that she would be able to catch a hold of it even though they were separated but so much distance.

A wave of dizziness crashed over her, the doors were unlocked.

Jumping to her feet, she darted down the pathways, her footsteps falling quickly as she skidded around a corner. Her heart jumping in giddy anticipation she took a step forward reaching out to where there had once been a wall, but now was an open path to the inner working of his mind.

Suddenly Jayne was looming before her angrily, the image of Vera clutched possessively to his chest. "No time for that now, girl. Feds are coming. Get the hell outta here and put as many miles as you can between us." He pushed her back into her own mind and the wall suddenly loomed back up, blocking her path once again.

River pulled herself from her mindscape and sat up on the bed, glancing about the empty bunk for a second in confusion. She closed her eyes, the facts reorganizing, trying to calculate the chances, the odds. He was screwed, she reasoned, no way in hell he'd be able to handle the feds by himself, he needed her. An idea formed in the back of her mind as a grin crept across her lips.

Standing she moved quickly from the bed to the ladder and paused, her mind reaching out to touch the crew's. They were sleeping, all sleeping peaceful, not a sole awake on Serenity.

She crept up Jayne's hatch, moving quietly down the hall and into the cockpit.

The ship was on locked course, autopilot in Wash's chair. The console had been locked down as usual for the artificial night; tamper proof, but not River proof. Slipping into the pilot's chair she set about her work, fingers flying across the console, flicking switches starting buttons, checking gauges. It was easy; she'd seen Wash do it more then enough times to have the sequences written on her memory.

Releasing the auto pilot she gingerly took the controls, guiding the ship into a very slow turn, her mind working the calculations, the necessary speed, while her consciousness reached out to ensure that the crew remained blissfully unaware of her actions.

Dropping one hand to the lever she pulled back on the handle, increasing the speed to hard burn slowly, "Sleep, to take the rest afforded by the natural suspension of consciousness: to cease being awake, to be dormant, quiescent, inactive. Let them sleep Serenity." She whispered to the ship as she caressed the controls lovingly, gently guiding it back towards her future. _"Husband, I come. Now to that name my courage prove my title."_

* * *

Notes… 

"_Husband, I come. Now to that name my courage prove my title." _Is taken from Shakespeare's play, "Antony and Cleopatra" Act Five, Scene Two

Note to Artemis Moonshine: Having a little gun toting genius running around would be vastly amusing and cute, but is she going to be pregnant? Not for this story, think I'll take it one step at the time. Possibly there may be little Rivers or Jaynes in a sequel. I hope that answered your question, if not feel free to email me. Other wise thanks a bunch for reviewing.

Chinese translations…

"Wo de ma" means "Mother-of-God"


	9. Chapter Eight: The Right Atmosphere

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Eight: The Right Atmosphere

* * *

"Ta ma de!" Wash yelled as he stood in the doorway, staring out the window onto the small revolving planet of Terra Five. It took a moment for the shock to settle in before he found himself able to act. Racing forward he slide into his chair and pulled down the communicator, "Mal, you'd better get up here fast." 

No sooner had he set the receiver down then he heard the captain stumble up the stairs and pause, "What in the name of god? Ain't that the planet we just left?"

"It is!"

"What in ruttin hell happened then, we ain't supposed to be orbiting this particular planet."

Wash frowned glancing over the controls. "Somebody's been messin with them." He declared motioning towards his panels. "But who would…"

"Husband called." The two men spun around to stare at River sanding in the doorway. She titled her head, glancing out the windows to stare at the revolving planet.

"Jayne called? He change his mind or somethin'?" Mal demanded, at current very angry with this new situation. But more confused over how they had managed to get back to Terra and why they had been turned around in the first place.

Wash frowned glancing at his controls, "There's no record of a wave, Captain."

River rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh of annoyance. "Called up here." She declared, tapping the side of her head. "The rock's in a bind!" She tried to explain as the rest of the crew filed into the cockpit.

"What's going on, Captain?" Simon questioned stepping forward to stand behind his sister.

"Your sister turned us around, that's what's going on." Mal cursed glaring at the boy for several seconds. He really did need to see about getting a bolt for her door.

"River? But she can't fly a ship, she's never…" He started to say.

"Number's are easy!" River interrupted pushing forward. "No occasion to evaluate what's been made. Other half called cuz the grey are sweeping in for the rock's treasure, think that they'll find what they seek. They'll crush the world."

"What in ruttin hell is that supposed to mean?" Mal demanded, the rest of the crew watching worriedly as the scene played out.

River pushed past the captain and picked up a Dino off the scanner. Her small fingers pointing down she reiterated what she thought had been obvious, "The grey are come."

"Captain that signature's a standard Alliance fleet shuttle." Wash pointed out, "And if I'm judging right they're about a stone's throw away from landing right outside of… Ellsinore."

"O, zhe zhen shi ge kuai le de jin zhan . . ."

"What are we gonna do Captain, can't just let them sweep in and take Jayne out looking for River when she ain't there." Kaylee declared worriedly.

Mal frowned pensively for a second, "Take us down Wash, I think it's about time we had us some fun playing big damn heroes again."

* * *

"You wait for my signal. Don't start shooting until I give the word. We wanna get us as many of them off that boat as possible. Once that's done you shoot anything that moves, shoot it best you can." Jayne ordered, glaring at the group of men gathered in the Cobb living room. "And keep your gorram heads covered cuz I don't wanna be explaining that you was stupid and fool heartedly got your heads shot off to no weeping widows. Dong ma?" 

The sound of wagon wheels interpreted Jayne's speech and sent the mercenary walking out onto the porch to watch his father and Jamie pull the wagon to a halt. "Uncle Bester sends his regards." Jamie called out swinging down, "Along with a couple thousands rounds of ammunition." The young man grinned motioning to the back of the wagon before trotting into the house to gather up some men to carry it in.

"Your ma and the girls are safe with him now. Don't need to be worrying bout them." Daniel added, swinging down.

"Hell, they can take care of themselves, pa, I wasn't planning on worrying bout them." Jayne declared, surveying the rounds before turning back to his father, "They find that hun dun that done this?"

"Na, the Shepherd and them gone after him into the mountains, figured he fled to that old family cabin of theirs, or maybe managed to get off world."

Jayne cursed, envisioning all the terrible things he'd wanted to do to the bastard after he handled the feds, which now would have to wait until they found him. "They should've hung that ta ma de hun dan when they caught him trying to kidnap them little girls twenty years back. Now he's probably got off scot-free with the money."

Daniel nodded in agreement and then frowned, reaching into his jacket the older man pulled out a rolled document, holding it out for his son to take. "Preacher wanted me to give you this."

"Why for? What is it?" Jayne questioned with a raised eyebrow as he accepted the paper.

"Marriage certificate 'tween you and the little woman." Daniel answered turning away from his son he grabbed an armful of ammunition and disappeared into the house.

Jayne unrolled the paper slowly, eyes roaming over the board lettering, down to her quiet little signature. He frowned in thought for a second before carefully folding the paper and tucking it into his back pocket. Reaching into the wagon he grabbed a hold of an armful of ammunition and started back into the house when he caught the sound of an approaching engine.

* * *

"Wash, what's our e.t.a.?" 

"Bout thirty minutes or so, depending on the weather." The pilot answered calmly, the ship breaking through into atmo and leveling out in the blue sky.

"What are you thinking captain?" Zoe questioned. "Ain't much cover to be had on that farm, sir."

"I'm thinking we have Wash fly overhead, distract them real good, maybe tilt the engines, scorch their ship a little? While he's doing that we sneak in the back way, take more then a couple of them from behind the cover of their own shuttle." Mal turned to glance at the shepherd, "You fell like shootin a couple knee caps out again?"

The shepherd nodded. "If I can be of assistance."

"Right, the rest of you stay on the ship. We'll handle this one." Mal ordered starting down the cockpit stairs he and Zoe headed off to collect the needed guns and ammunition, Book and Kaylee following but a second behind them.

River closed her eyes, "It's already started! The grey have knocked at the doors and found lead answering." She whispered, and then stumbled back a step. "Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi." River opened her eyes for a second and then closed them again. "He lets the girl in, locks the girl out, lets the girl in, and locks the girl out again. Stupid rock should make up its mind, giving her a headache."

"River!" Simon admonished worriedly, watching as she her balance stumbled.

"Jayne." She screamed making Simon, Inara and Wash jump. River's hands came up to shield her face and she stumbled backwards, falling to the floor with a hard thumb.

* * *

Jayne flew backwards his body falling heavily to the hard wooden floor, knocking the breath out of him. His father's loomed overhead, worry etched across the older man's face. "Jayne, Jayne boy, you okay?" The sound of gun fire rang in his ears, almost masking the sound of his father's words. 

The mercenary took a deep gulping breath, pulling himself back to his feet; he crept back over to the window. "Ya pa, just a close one's all." He explained, taking note of where the bullet had almost seared through his skull, her voice still reverberating in his head.

Damn he'd let his guard down for a moment and she's snuck back in. He couldn't let her do that, even if her warning had saved his ruttin' life. Picking out his next target he started shooting again as his father crawled over next to him.

Poking his head out the clearing Daniel reached out, grabbing a hold of Jayne's shirt and pulling the man down as another bullet ricocheted off the wood. "You trying to get yourself killed boy?" Daniel demanded, releasing his son the two men resumed their previous positions. Jayne ignored his father, picking out his next target he let a bullet fly watching in satisfaction as his target crumpled to the dirt. "Just remember, you ain't no exception. You get shot and I don't wanna be explaining that you was a fool stupid boy to your ma and no weeping widow of yours." That said Daniel crept across the room to check on his three smarter boys and the rest of the men who'd volunteered to help the Cobb family out.

"Won't be nobody crying over me today." Jayne whispered gruffly with a small grin as he picked out his next target.

* * *

"River are you alright?" 

The smaller girl pushed herself into a sitting position, shaking her head as though to clear her head. "Rock was stupid, nearly got swallowed by the source." She whispered as though that explained everything.

Standing River pushed off Simon's worrying hands and headed down the stairs. She couldn't deal with the distressing brother right now, had more important matters to sort out. She had to plan, be prepared. He was still locking her out. Even if his control was slipping he'd never give her enough time to reform the connection.

River wandered down into the dinning room, taking the steps slowly. She paused, her gaze following the lines of the table to the galley. She titled her head slowly, peering through the waves of brown into the galley, "Black's not always bad."

* * *

Daniel crawled back over to Jayne. "How you doin, boy?" 

"Havin' me a blast pa." Jayne grinned grimly, selecting his next target the mercenary continued picking off the grey uniformed bastards slowly.

"Glad to see you're havin' fun." Daniel muttered. "What say we put an end to this shindig before somebody on our side gets shot." As if to agree or answer, the floor boards suddenly trembled underneath them. "What the hell was that?" Daniel demanded.

"Aw shit." Jayne whispered, his gaze following the sound of additional gunfire coming from behind the fed shuttle. "They'd better not have… I'm gonna rip their ruttin' heads off." The mercenary growled angrily as the sound of Serenity's engines swept overhead.

* * *

Notes… 

Not the best at writing action… so sorry if you were expecting more… Once again thanks to the reviewers. You make my day as usual.

Chinese translations…

"Dong ma?" means "Understand?"

"Ta ma de!" means "Fuck me blind!"

"O, zhe zhen shi ge kuai le de jin zhan." means "Oh, this is a happy development..."

"Liu kou shui de biao zi he hou zi de ben er zi" means "Stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey."


	10. Chapter Nine: The Right Timing

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Chapter Nine: The Right Timing

* * *

Serenity landed quietly just behind the fed shuttle. Smirking Mal stepped out from behind his chosen cover, the last Alliance solider dropping dead at the foot of the Fleet shuttle. "Well wasn't that exhilaratin'?" He questioned Zoe and Book as they immerged from their own cover. Serenity's ramp dropped down and the rest of crew immerged slowly, Wash leading the way with Simon and his med bag following behind. 

"Looks like you had some fun!" Wash commented, walking over to sweep his wife into his arms and planting an eager kiss on her lips, always glad to see her blood free after one of these exciting little adventures.

Simon frowned suddenly and glanced about. "What's wrong?" Kaylee questioned him.

"Where'd River go, she was right here just a second ago?"

Kaylee smiled, looping her arm with his "Aw, she probably just ran off to go find Jayne." She assured leading him forward.

"Think it's about time we got our thanks." Mal declared stepping over a body he headed towards the house. The door suddenly kicked open and a mighty pissed off Jayne immerged from the house, gun still held ready in his arms.

"See, I knew we forgot something!" Wash declared enthusiastically pointing towards the very pissed Jayne.

"What in hell do you think you're doing here?"

Mal frowned, "Well that ain't the reception we was expecting for saving your behind."

"I was handling the ruttin situation just fine." Jayne declared angrily from the porch, watching as Mal approached him, the rest of the crew following behind. "Ta ma de hun dan. Fleet's bound to come by when they don't get an answer from the Feds, may as well just have handed her over to the ruttin tian sha de e mo that did this to her in the first place."

Mal opened his mouth to clarify a point, but paused. Was that a frying pan looming behind the mercenary's head? He titled his head to the side for a better look, but before he could clarify the black object came down knocking the still seething Jayne unconscious.

"River!" Simon yelled racing forward to the prone form of Jayne. He looked up at his sister in shock, trying to formulate a question and ask her why she would do such a thing, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"Was his idea!" River answered her brother's silent question by pointing at Mal with the frying pan that she still clutched in one hand.

"What?" Mal demanded, suddenly shocked out of his stupor. "It wasn't my idea… well okay, maybe it was, but I made that suggestion days ago, and I didn't say use a frying pan, nor did I think you'd take me seriously." He defended walking over to where the Doc examined the unconscious Jayne. "And if you were gonna take me up on it why didn't you do it back then instead of wasting gas on a return trip?"

River titled her head innocently, setting the frying pan down she moved forward to crouch beside her husband and Simon. "Heart was too weak, too high of a risk of inducing shock into the system and triggering relapse." She closed her eyes for a second, balancing there quietly. A smile crept along her lips and her eyes flashed open to meet Simon's then Mal's, "Worked, doors are unlocked."

"Damn right they are! He probably don't have any doors to lock anymore, what with you knocking all the sense out of his head." Mal declared, kneeling down he hooked his arms under the mercenary's and turned to Simon, "Help me carry him onto the ship, rest of you clean up this mess, we gotta figure out how to keep the feds from stompin' down on the town when they come lookin' for the shuttle." Together the two men hoisted the body off the ground and started towards Serenity, River trailing after them.

* * *

Damn he was back to sittin' in the dark again. Jayne groaned, hands coming up to cover his face. What the hell had happened anyway? Last thing he could recall he was standing there, talking, stupid Mal endangering the girl, pain in his head and then darkness. 

He knew he wasn't dead, that was for damn sure, death would feel different and this was the same as before. Uncovering his face he looked up and nearly jumped back in shock, River sat just across from him, grinning. "What the hell you doin' here, get." Jayne ordered, trying to mentally shove her out.

River's grin only grew larger. "Can't lock her out anymore," she laughed gleefully, "You're in a state of induced unconsciousness."

Jayne frowned for a second, "How come it works when I'm sleepin' then?"

"Locks where in place when going into the state of oblivion, but the girl snuck up when the locks were down and induced sleep with a frying pan." River explained as she titled her head, examining him through the waves of brown.

"What in ruttin hell? You knocked me out?" Jayne demanded angrily. "Gorram it girl, I outta…" He trialed off lacking the proper wording to describe how he wanted to strangle her, he ignored the small thought that the last time he'd tried to do that it had ended in a knee shaking kiss.

River nodded happily, crawling to her knees she started advancing on him. "No more running. Boy belongs to girl now; she marked him for her own long time ago." As she spoke she slowly straddled his lap, watching the shock and confusion play across his face.

It took a second for Jayne to register what was going on, but when he did his hand came up to grip her shoulders with the intent of pushing her off. But at the first touch of her they rebelled against him, rounding over her shoulders to fall down to the small of her back, clutching her closer.

"Ineffectively you've fought it, but haven't lost the battle, won it though you can not see the victory." River explained, her hands coming up to dive into the short locks of his hair. "If the psyche will follow the heart, when he wakes the boy will have it all." Leaning slowly down she pressed her lips gently to his.

Jayne couldn't deny it; he wanted her to be there, no mater how hard he tried to justify her departure, no matter what he told himself… he still wanted her there in the corner of his mind. "Aw, what the hell…" He muttered against her lips, finally giving into the taste of her soul he kissed her back. It wasn't like this was real life… and sides' as soon as he woke up from the black he could probably lock her out again… if'n he wanted to…

* * *

Mal and Simon immerged from the Serenity after seeing to it that unconscious Jayne was placed securely in the infirmary with River. There was no way in ruttin' hell that Mal was taking off from the planet without the mercenary. He'd seen what that would get him and a despondent and depressed crew was not something Mal could afford in his line of work. As far as he was concerned, Jayne no longer had a choice. 

Simon scurried off towards the house where Inara was tending the wounded. The bodies had been removed, Mal was guessing onto the shuttle as Book was emerging from said shuttle with his bible in hand. Kaylee, Wash and Zoe followed after him lugging spare parts.

"Look Captain," Kaylee called out, "they got a whole bunch of shiny stuff we can use."

"Always good to hear, now what have you got planned, how we gonna get rid of this sucker without doing too much damage to the good folk of Ellsinore?"

"We're gonna blow her into little bitty tiny bits…" Wash declared pinching his fingers together to give his captain an example of how small. "That is after we strip her of all them shiny pieces little Kaylee was talkin' bout."

"We've got it all set up, Capt. Ready when you are." Kaylee beamed up at him as Wash nodded eagerly.

"Just outta curiosity… bein' I'm the captain and all… what's gonna happen?"

"Oh, it's genius, captain." Wash declared, "Went through the logs and found that they reported an engine problem, a minor one."

"But," Kaylee added, "If not taken care of, an explosive one." She bounced eagerly on her toes.

"And that helps us how?"

"Well, they were gonna put into the dry dock and get it fixed Captain… but only after picking up the fugitives that they got word were on Terra Five." Kaylee explained, "Zoe and I fly the ship up into orbit. Wash will take Serenity up, dock with the shuttle, we'll accelerate the problem, get off, go a couple space miles away and blow her at the touch of a button. It'll be fun!"

Mal raised an eyebrow, "Right, sounds good to me, get going, don't wanna stay on this planet longer then I have to." The three moved off to finish preparing and Mal headed over to the house. "Well," He called out walking over to where Marie and Daniel stood talking to Simon, Book and Inara. "Hate to save and run, but there's stuff to be done in the 'Verse. If you like you can come on board and say goodbye to your unconscious son."

Daniel shook his head "That's all right, Jayne ain't very fond of goodbyes, barely gave us one the first time he left. I already loaded up the boy's gear, it's in your cargo bay, he'd never forgive ya if you left without Vera. Oh…" Turning around Daniel picked something up off the ground. "Here you go, think this is yours." He held the frying pan out to Mal.

"Ah, River's… key." Mal took the frying pan, examining it carefully, he half expected it to be bent out of shape, considering how hard Jayne's head was, but the pan remained in good condition.

"Anyway it was a pleasure meeting you Captain." Daniel added and held out a hand to quickly shake the Captain's.

Marie reached out and pulled Mal into a tight hug, "Take care of my boy, and I'd 'appreciate it if you could send him home once in a while. Least so I know he ain't gotten himself killed yet." Mal patted her back awkwardly and the smaller woman finally pulled away, bestowing hugs on Inara, Book and Simon.

"Kay Capt," Wash called out as he immerged from the fleet shuttle and headed towards Serenity, "Ready when you are."

Mal nodded to the couple, "Thanks again for having us." Reaching out he gently pulled Simon from the woman's embrace, handed him River's… key and hooked his arm through Inara's leading them back to the ship, Book only a step behind.

* * *

Jayne didn't dare open his eyes, still confused by the goings on. He tried to assess his whereabouts first, deciding it was safer then just trying to sit up. He wasn't on a bed, but stretched out on some kind of chair like thing that felt very familiar, he'd been here before. 

"Infirmary…" River's soft voice supplied and Jayne slowly opened his eyes to stare up into the familiar blinding white light. A heavy weight straddled his hips and he atomically assumed that was her. Well, at least she was keeping him from meeting the floor for the third time this week.

Jayne lifted his head and stared down at the small pixie like girl. He groaned as pain lanced through the back of his head and slowly rested his head back down. "What in ruttin' hell do you think you're doing?" He questioned her with a hoarse and gruff voice.

"Fixing what was broken." She supplied. Jayne closed his eyes as pain lanced back through his head. "Reestablished the link from mind to mind, now just have to attach hearts together again with a simple surgical procedure …" He jumped slightly in response to her words and opened his eyes half expecting to find her holding a scalpel. But she only grinned down at him, her hands empty. "Won't hurt silly." She scolded, moving her hands up to rest on his chest, her fingers tapping along the old scar she'd given him on Ariel. "Just accept what you know to be true."

"You can't make all those lies true! What happened over the past week shouldn't have. You're crazy and I'm the mean asshole that turned you in for a couple of credits… it'd never be a normal relationship. Even if your brother did find a way to stabilize you, there's too much history behind it all." Jayne answered her, "Sides' Mal and them, they're okay with it now, but what happens when ya move into my bunk, they'll throw a fit so big it'll blow that little mind of yours and I'm bound to get thrown out the airlock."

"One… not lies… two... destined to be… three... I'll handle them."

Jayne frowned, confused by her words for a second. "Now, wait a minute… they were lies… them memories, and you know it girl. I never rescued you from Ariel and no needles, and we never got married."

"But you did!" River smiled down brightly at him.

"No!" Jayne quickly declared, "I sold you out, I got you caught, didn't do no rescuing!"

"Then I must be insubstantial, not here, back with the needles…" She held her hand up to her face and examined it as though confused.

Recognition flashed over Jayne's face and his eyes went wide, "No, you ain't twisting this around, I didn't ruttin' save you. I turned ya in, remember. It was Mal who rescued ya, he's the one who found us and got us out."

River laughed gleefully, sending a shiver down his spine, "But it was Jayne who fought to release, Jayne who could have left River to return to the blue. It was Jayne who bloodied his hand to keep her from the needles."

"Damn your ruttin logic." Jayne cursed, "That still don't make the marriage true, I wouldn't have willingly married a crazy girl!" One of River's hands slipped around beneath him, digging around his backside in search of something, making the mercenary twitch and jump around as much as he could, "What in ruttin' hell are you doing?"

River pulled her hand out, gently grasping a hold of a small folded piece of paper. Jayne groaned as she gently unfolded it, holding the object close for him to see. He cursed under his breath as the bold writing of the marriage certificate stared him back in the face. So, okay he had married her somewhat willingly, he could have ducked out of that ceremony pretty easily if he'd really wanted to. Not like anybody had been holding a gun to his back. "That don't count, seeing as how I already thought we were married in the first place."

River shook her head, "Jayne Cobb trust the word of a stranger?" she shook her head again. "Jayne Cobb trusts no one, only himself and his gut feelings. See, destined to be! Fate played out to bring together boy and girl. Used a slight of hand and tricked them into acceptance of what she had planned every since the girl was put in the box and delivered to boy's doorstep."

Jayne growled low in his throat, angered and stupefied by her logic and her ability to debunk his arguments. Still he wasn't one to give in easily. "That ain't gonna make the crew accept it none, they ain't gonna just let us…"

"Let the prodigy handle serenity's bunch." She interrupted. "Nothing vestiges to argue bout, all that's remains is acceptance."

"What if'n I don't wanna accept it?" Jayne yelled back, lifting his head to glare back up at her.

River bowed her head in response, taking a shaky breath she sniffled as tears gathered in her eyes.

Jayne's eyes went wide in horror, "Hey now… don't you dare…" She sniffled again, "Gorram it, woman, that's just low down and dirty…" Reaching out he grabbed a hold of her and pulled her roughly into his embrace. On hand holding her firmly to him he let the other gently smooth down the waves of brown, all the while grumping, "Ain't fair, them ain't kosherized rules."

She buried her face against his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of Jayne. "Missed me?" River finally whispered when the seconds had drawn out into minutes of quiet.

"Missed' ya!" Jayne confirmed reluctantly, a hand unconsciously playing along the muscles of her back.

"Love me?" River inquired quietly

"Damn, don't know what else these ruttin' feelings could mean!" He answered without thinking. It took a second for the comprehension of his words to clear through the River induced haze of emotion. Jayne groaned, "Now that ain't fair either, I wasn't thinking clearly." He quickly defended before she could make a case out of what he'd just said.

River giggled quietly, snuggling deeper into his embrace, "Can't take them back once you've said them." She paused for a moment, her hand making lazy circle on his chest. "Nothing to be afraid of…" She whispered, "River can't hurt him, doesn't want to hurt him, hurting him would hurt her. Can't promise that it'll be easy, can't promise that won't be hard, but can promise that she'll love him until the occasion of time suffocating the mixture of nitrogen and oxygen from her respiratory organs."

Shifting slight she lifted her head to stare down into his eyes. "Things will go wrong and things will change, but she'll always be here," She pressed one hand over his heart, "and here." she pressed her other hand over his forehead. "It's not too spectacular to be accurate, silly Jayne, it's factual."

Jayne stared up into her bright eyes, breathing heavily and deeply he watched her face, the earnest pleading expression that danced through her eyes. He still didn't understand it, but he was tired of fighting the feelings, tired of being on the losing end. And as she appeared to be winning he did what any good mercenary would, decided that maybe he ought to switch sides and get the better deal.

Taking another deep and shaky breath he pushed down the fear, past the annoying little voices that warned him not to, and guided his hand to the base of her neck. His heart jumping erratically, he pulled her head down and took that final heart stopping plunge into acceptance, he kissed her.

* * *

"Right, Captain," Wash declared from his pilot's seat, "We are undocking." 

Serenity slowly pulled away from the small grey shuttle and turned about, floating a safe distance away before Wash turned her about so they could watch the sparks fly. A majority of the crew had gathered to watch the event, leaving only and River and Jayne in the Infirmary and Inara in her shuttle.

"We about ready?" Mal questioned Kaylee.

The mechanic nodded. Simon turned away, heading down the stairs, "Simon," Kaylee called after him, "don't you wanna stay and watch the big ka boom?"

Simon paused and turned around to face the group, "I don't think after today's events it's safe to leave my sister alone with Jayne for longer then necessary. I'm… sure… there'll be other chances to watch you blow things up." That said the doctor smiled and turned back around heading towards the infirmary.

"Kay, Kaylee, lets see this thing light up like a Christmas tree."

"Christmas trees don't explode and burst into flames, captain." Wash declared with a sarcastic grin.

"Obviously you ain't been in a room with a tree and bout twenty drunken ranch hands. Blow her, Kaylee."

* * *

Simon looked up as Serenity shook slightly in the after shock and continued down the stairs to the infirmary to check on his unconscious patient. He shook his head in thought, still baffled by his sister's previous actions. Still wondering why she'd chosen to knock out the mercenary he stepped into the infirmary and looked up. His mouth dropped open in horror at the sight that greeted him. 

Mercenary and crazy genius were locked in a heated embrace, lips tugging frantically at each other, hands roaming where no brother ought to have witnessed. Simon spun on his heels, facing the other direction he quickly cleared his throat once, and judged it safe to turn around when he caught the sound of his sister's startled gasp.

Simon fought for control of his own facial expressions as Jayne pulled away from River with a comical horrified expression and turned a nice shade of red. River merely sat up and grinned at her brother. Simon was tempted to make a comment, but decided that he didn't want to risk wiping the euphoric expression from his sister's face. He was just gonna have to get used to her… relationship… for the sake of his sister's happiness.

"Sorry for… uh… interrupting you." Simon gulped down hurrying over to the counter, half afraid he would start laughing at Jayne's expression. "How are you feeling?"

"His head hurts!" River supplied for her husband, as he was still too flabbergasted to speak.

"Not surprising considering that she knocked you unconscious with a frying pan. I've got a painkiller that will help with that." Simon answered digging though his drawers for said drug.

The proper color returned to Jayne's face as his gaze darted back over to his wife. "She did what?" Jayne pouted, "Ya had to hit me with a ruttin frying pan? Gorram it, woman! No wonder my head feels bout ready to explode."

River rolled her eyes, "Already told you that up here silly." She declared tapping his forehead. "Needed to induce sudden unconsciousness while the locks were still down," she explained again.

Simon walked over to the pair welding his syringe. "River, I need you to move..." He started to say, but stopped talking when she shot him a potent death glare. Simon watched half stunned as she reached out and took the syringe from him before expertly applying it to one of her husband's veins.

"There, made up for the hurt." Leaning down River kissed Jayne soundly on the lips and clambered down from the bed, skipping off towards her room. Consequently she knowingly left the two men in her life in a very uncomfortable position of silence.

Simon shifted nervously, reached out and picked up the empty syringe from where his sister had dropped it and moved back over to the counter.

"Ya know doc," Jayne suddenly declared, his head was drooping slightly as the drug took a moment to kick in. "I'm pretty sure there's some big ruttin' ugly black book of the 'Verse that says you ain't supposed to like your brother in law… so ya know… no big change there." Jayne spoke up quietly, shocking Simon. "It only means you're entitled to rip my innards out if'n I ever hurt her. And that I'm allowed to tell ya you're makin' a gorram fool of yourself with little Kaylee, hurtin' her every time ya push her away."

His mouth once again gaping open Simon spun on his heels to stare at the mercenary. "What…"

"Course if'n you just let go of 'em boundaries ya put up and let yourself relax a little, it wouldn't be no problem." Jayne turned his gaze to meet Simon's and grinned, "I did the same and look what it got me; that damn fine little number you call sister."

A look of disgust mingled with outright shock over Simon's face, but before he could make a comment in retaliation the mercenary had closed his eyes, lured into sleep by the pain killer. Simon stood fixed in place for a second, his mouth still hanging open.

"You keep gaping like that and you're liable to catch somethin' you don't wanna." Mal commented as he stepped into the infirmary and glanced about in search of River. "How's he doin' and where's your sister?"

Simon finally closed his mouth, "He's back to normal, captain, and River just ran off in the direction of her room." Mal nodded turned on his heals and started off towards the guest quarters, Simon following but a step behind him, "Uh… why do you want to speak to her?"

"Wanna make sure I ain't gonna have any problems 'tween them."

"I don't think you will." Simon assured, but nevertheless the captain continued on.

"Best to get it strait from the source." Mal answered back, but paused as he came to a stop in her doorway. River was scrambling around inside, hurriedly throwing clothes and items onto the bed in no semblance of order.

"River! What are you doing?" Simon questioned, nervously tugging on his ear as he watched her from behind the Captain.

"Wife and husband share abode, can't sleep in separate halves of a whole." Both men stared down at her in confession and the genius sighed in frustration. "Moving to Jayne's quarters."

"Now wait just a minute." Mal declared, "I may not have had a choice with the whole marriage thing but I think I have a say about a little girl like you sharing a bed with the likes of Jayne. Last I checked this was still my boat."

River looked up from her clothes to meet the captain's gaze. "I can kill you with my brain."

It took a second for Mal to recover, "I imagine that's real useful, but I ain't just about to let him…"

"Captain," Simon interrupted gently, "I think she means she can take care of herself." He paused for a second, "Besides, I don't really think we have a say, they are legally married, and she's not exactly a child anymore." Simon turned and watched the Captain frown.

"This is still my boat and I gotta say in all this…" Mal declared stubbornly, his gaze flickering between River and Simon. A moment of silence passed before the captain sighed, "Just keep the noise level down, my bunk's right next to his and don't wanna listen to no… well you know. A man's gotta be able to get some sleep." That said Mal turned on his heels and stormed out mumbling something about forcing Wash and Zoe to switch bunks with him.

Simon turned back to River and found her forcing a bundle of clothes into his arms. "River…" He began slowly, "You do know what you're doing right, I know I… uh… just said. But Jayne's, well, Jayne…." He diverted his gaze down to the floor

"Simon." He lifted his head at the sound of her voice and found his younger sister smiling gleefully up at him. "Simon, don't be such a boob." He furrowed his brow for a second as River walked over; standing on her tip toes she kissed his cheek, took the clothes from him and headed off.

"Right, guess I'll just mind my own business then…"

* * *

Jayne took the stairs down into the dining room slowly, a Tam sibling on each elbow ready and waiting to jump forward at a moment's hesitation and consequently annoying the hell out of Jayne. "Will you leave off, I ain't gonna break or nothin', just dizzy in the head's all." Still they hovered around him. One in a medical sense, watching for symptoms or signs of rudimentary damage to the brain, after all River had hit him over the head pretty hard. The other in what Jayne would've called a 'ruttin girly, overbearing, annoying, but cute as hell, loving sense.' He made for a chair and found himself forced to swat her hands away as she attempted to pull it out for him. He quickly took a seat, glaring at them both before addressing the doctor. "If'n I feel like death's knockin' on my door, I'll let ya know." That said he pulled River into the chair beside him. 

Simon moved off to pull Kaylee's chair out for her, before taking the seat next to the mechanic. "Where are we headed to next, Captain?"

"Got word about a job couple clicks away from here, some nice crime for a change." Mal answered, picking up the basket of bread he grabbed a roll and started to pass it around the table. "Course it'll probably go wrong and somebody will be put into deadly peril and I'll be forced to come up with some cunningly brilliant rescue plan."

"Well it sure the hell ain't my turn to get captured, tortured, shot or beaten into a blood pulp." Jayne commented in between mouthfuls, drawing the table's attention.

"How you figure that?" Mal voiced the question that seemed to be echoing in everybody's but River's eyes.

"Well, lets see, I got put on the wrong side of the world with a crazy girl," Jayne ignored said girl's glare, "flashed, which if'n you wanna know ain't all daises, had my memory wiped, replaced once, then again, which wasn't no fun neither. Managed to get hitched to said crazy girl," he winced as a boot stomped on his foot, "had a heart attack…"

"Syrchenz's Cardiomyopathy is not a heart attack. While it has similar qualities…"

Jayne glared at the doc, effectively shutting him up. "Got attacked by feds an' knocked out by the woman who claims to be my wife," River rolled her eyes, "so figured I'm outta the loop for least a good cycle of jobs."

Book furrowed his forehead and leaned forward, pressing his hands together, "Intriguing speculation, whose turn is it then?"

"Most likely Mal's or Wash's, seeing as Inara ain't involved in the jobs and ain't one of us would let little Kaylee get hurt. You, shepherd, got such a crap load of knowledge you ain't liable to be caught with your pants down, same with Zoe. And the doc… well he just found out his sister's married to me, figured fate might give him a spell to catch his breath."

"What about little River, why not her?" Wash questioned.

"Hell, she's a gorram genius with her own genuine, personalized, amazin' and astonishin' mercenary to watch her back, ain't nothing happening to her." Jayne grinned down at River, casually throwing his arm over her shoulder he ignored the several glances sent his way, "Ain't that right baby?"

River gave him a curt nod and a loopy smile, "Said the tortoise to the hare." Jayne turned to look at the crew, giving them a smug, happy grin and nod as though her words had confirmed his thoughts.

"What's that mean?" Kaylee inquired.

"Mean's I'm right and smarter then all you."

Mal snorted and turned his glance over to Simon, "You know I think for once you might be wrong doc, as that there is living proof that she must've damaged somethin' in his head." A splattering of protein mush sailed through the air across the table, smacking the captain dead center on the cheek.

"Nice shot, baby."

* * *

Chinese translations 

"Ta ma de hun dan." means "Mother humping son of a bitch."

"Tian sha de e mo." means "Goddamn monsters."


	11. Epilogue: Third Time’s… Auspicious

Never a Normal Relationship…

By Lady Cleo

All Disclaimers Apply.

While setting down on Jayne's home world things go from messed up to screwed up for Jayne, River and the crew of Serenity. (Jayne River, Post Objects in Space.)

Epilogue: Third Time's… Auspicious

* * *

"Whose idea was this?" Jayne asked as he stood in the doorway watching several people working in the cargo bay. He crossed his arms over his chest and groaned as he heard Kaylee laugh, "Don't tell me. Think I just figured it out for myself." 

River walked over to stand at her husband's side, she grinned up at him, titling her head to watch the expressions roll off his face. "Book and Inara's too!" She commented casually.

Jayne reached out pulling her in front of him he rested his chin on her head, hands wrapping around her waist. "Don't know why in ruttin hell I agreed to it. What's this put us at, two times?"

River smiled contentedly as she felt his chest vibrate as he spoke, "Agreed cuz of the food." She answered simply. "Third time!"

"No it ain't, first time don't count cuz it was all in our heads."

"Said the dos and signed the documentation, lived it for a duration of existence, still has significance. Sides' first time's an endeavor, second's an upgrade, third time's auspicious." She explained. "And, also, Simon wanted to give the bride away."

Jayne snorted, "Lucky my ass, gorram doc probably just wants a chance to say yes when the Shepherd asks if anyone objects."

River elbowed him in the stomach ignoring the groan that her action produced. "Play nice Jayne." she whispered as she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"Jayne!" Mal called out, "Stop fooling around and get your ass out here so we can get this over with." Releasing his wife slowly Jayne moved away, glad that at least Mal seemed to be as miserable as he was.

"Right, are we ready to begin?" Shepherd Book asked as he finished flipping through his bible.

Kaylee tossed the last streamer across the catwalk and glanced about at her progress. Though it was still obviously a cargo bay, she felt proud of her work in decorating it. Only wished they had flowers. She turned to her co-conspirators and gave Book and Inara a quick nod of approval. "Don't it look pretty?"

"You ain't gonna be so happy when the Captain makes you clean it all up little Kaylee." Jayne declared with a smug grin as she stepped over to slap him on the shoulder.

"Remind me again why we couldn't have this little shindig in the dinning room?" Mal questioned, glancing about his prettified cargo bay and praying that they wouldn't run into any other ship. He'd never live it down in the smuggling world if word got out that he'd spruced up his cargo hold for a wedding.

"All the foods on the table Captain, it'd be mighty distracting to have the ceremony up there with Jayne drooling." Kaylee grinned as Jayne scowled.

"Kaylee," Simon called out from the opening to the guest quarters, "We're ready to start."

"Right." The engineer bounced happily, "Get to go play maid of honor now." She grinned up at the three men and Inara before practically skipping away

"Glad somebody's enjoying this." Jayne muttered under his breath, watching the engineer disappear as Wash and Zoe entered the cargo bay.

"Oh you know you are too!" Inara added. "You and Mal may look all stoic and slightly miserable, but deep down your just like Kaylee."

"Wow, how come we didn't do this?" Wash asked his wife as his eyes roamed about the cargo bay.

"Cuz, we ain't the sentimental kind like Jayne, husband." She answered as the two of them walked over to join the group.

Jayne growled again turning to look at Mal. "I ain't ever gonna live this down, am I?" Mal shook his head no. "We'll so long as it don't get off the ship. But I hear one word bout this leaked, and ain't nobody gonna be able to survive the beating I'll give em'."

Wash opened his mouth to a make a smart ass comment when Simon's voice broke through, "Okay, uh... we're ready now."

Inara hit play on the small recorder in her hand, filling the cargo bay with the soft strains of music. Kaylee immerged in her flowered dress, walking proudly through the cargo bay.

Seconds later Simon emerged with River on his arm. She was wearing one of Inara's dresses, a creamy white one that was still a little bit too big on her, but the happy smile across her face outshone the dress. Together brother and sister walked down the makeshift isle, coming to stop before Jayne and Book as the music died down.

"Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?" Book questioned with a quiet smile.

"In lieu of our father's inability to attend the ceremony," Simon started to say, turning his gaze from Book to glance down at his sister's bright smiling face, "I do." Leaning down he kissed her on the cheek and gave her hand to Jayne before stepping back to join Kaylee.

River smiled up at Jayne happily as Book began the ceremony, and couldn't help but compare it to the very first memory and found that it matched almost perfectly.

There was the man standing before them with his symbol that would turn to pages if taken apart.

There was the warm, sensual girl, though not covered with grease, and a doctor that Jayne didn't like, but now grudgingly accepted as part of the crew.

There was a funny man who liked playing with dinosaurs and a strong woman who liked the funny man that liked playing with dinosaurs.

There was the tall and protective one who owned the big damn boat, and worshipped the pretty woman that smelled of exotic spices and strong love.

But this time they weren't all strangers in her mind, they were people with faces and names, with feelings and emotions.

And then there was Jayne, who looked funny and out of place in his combat boots next to her, in her too large creamy white dress without the wildflowers. There was Jayne who held her hand as they were joined together by Book, the Shepherd.

Jayne; there's always Jayne.


End file.
